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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 120 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: present · swing · chest · ruler · court · kick · craft · hand

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. chest — of your body
  3. present — there
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. craft — boats
  7. present — the time now
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. swing — to play on
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. hand — help
  14. swing — music
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of law
  17. kick — in football
  18. craft — a skill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. swing — in golf
  21. chest — a box
  22. court — of a king
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chest — of your body

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