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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: bore · date · clip · swing · craft · chip · saw · sharp

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. craft — a skill
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. saw — the tool
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. saw — the tool
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. clip — for paper
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. date — the fruit
  17. chip — to eat
  18. craft — boats
  19. bore — to drill
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. clip — a video
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bore — to tire

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