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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. craft — boats
  3. drill — army training
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. club — a group
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. kid — child
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. can — to be able to
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. craft — a skill
  15. saw — the tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. club — for golf
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. can — a tin
  21. saw — the tool
  22. drill — the tool
  23. kid — to tease
  24. drill — a practice

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