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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 120 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — boats
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rash — hasty
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rash — a series
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. drill — army training
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. nail — for a hammer

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