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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: craft · toast · cold · swing · content · foot · drill · current

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. swing — in golf
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cold — not warm
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. current — electric
  7. drill — army training
  8. foot — a measure
  9. content — happy
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. craft — boats
  12. swing — to play on
  13. current — of water
  14. swing — music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. content — the amount
  17. drill — the tool
  18. toast — bread
  19. cold — an illness
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. current — happening now
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. foot — part of the 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