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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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Word bank
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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: calf · cue · cell · swing · clip · game · craft · last

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. clip — a video
  3. cell — a phone
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. last — finally
  6. cell — in biology
  7. craft — boats
  8. clip — to cut
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cue — a signal
  12. clip — for paper
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cue — for pool
  17. last — to go on
  18. cue — a hint
  19. swing — in golf
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. last — final
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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