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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — boats
  7. rest — a break
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bear — the animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chest — of your body
  12. craft — a skill
  13. chest — a box
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. rest — what's left
  17. last — finally
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bear — the animal
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kid — to tease

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