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

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bore — to drill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bore — to tire
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. key — in music
  14. key — for a lock
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. craft — a skill
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. craft — boats
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bat — the animal

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