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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chair — a leader
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. file — a tool
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. hand — help
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hand — in cards
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — of the year
  16. pass — a permit
  17. file — a document
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. season — in sport
  20. craft — boats
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. file — a line of people
  24. chair — a professorship

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