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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tube — the underground
  4. craft — boats
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. drill — a practice
  12. tube — a container
  13. craft — a skill
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. drill — army training
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. drill — the tool
  24. last — final

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