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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: sharp · craft · chest · squash · straw · bore · swing · dip

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. swing — music
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bore — to drill
  7. swing — to play on
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bore — to tire
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. chest — a box
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. craft — boats
  15. chest — of your body
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. swing — in golf
  19. sharp — clever
  20. chest — of your body
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. squash — to crush

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