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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: chair · fall · shower · suit · swing · spell · hand · craft

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. suit — in cards
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. shower — to wash
  6. suit — to fit
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. swing — music
  9. craft — a skill
  10. fall — to drop
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — boats
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fall — to drop
  15. shower — rain
  16. spell — magic
  17. fall — the season
  18. hand — help
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. chair — a leader
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. suit — clothes
  24. swing — to play on

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