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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: club · mine · fall · swing · stick · craft · chip · foot

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. swing — music
  4. club — a group
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fall — to drop
  14. foot — a measure
  15. fall — the season
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. club — for dancing
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. fall — to drop
  22. craft — boats
  23. chip — for betting
  24. club — for golf

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