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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. scale — size or range
  3. craft — boats
  4. cue — a signal
  5. chest — a box
  6. cue — for pool
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. ground — crushed
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ground — a position
  12. field — farmland
  13. scale — in music
  14. ground — the earth
  15. field — a subject
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. chest — of your body
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cue — a hint
  22. chest — of your body
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. field — for sport

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