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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. craft — boats
  3. chair — a leader
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. staff — employees
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. craft — a skill
  9. game — a match
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. staff — a stick
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mine — for digging
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. staff — employees
  21. game — wild animals
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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