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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. craft — boats
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — a thing
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. chip — for betting
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. shower — rain
  11. chip — to eat
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. plane — a tool
  14. object — to protest
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mine — for digging
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. chest — a box
  21. pit — a hole
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pit — in a race
  24. chest — of your body

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