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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · lean · rest · race · face · snap · swing · mug

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. craft — a skill
  3. race — humankind
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. craft — boats
  7. rest — what's left
  8. face — part of the head
  9. snap — to click
  10. lean — thin
  11. swing — music
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lean — to bend
  14. face — to confront
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. race — a contest
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mug — to rob
  20. swing — in golf
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com