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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. drill — the tool
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. drill — army training
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — in a race
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. club — for golf
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fine — high quality
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. drill — a practice
  20. hand — help
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. club — a group
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. hand — 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