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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. bore — to tire
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chest — of your body
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bore — to drill
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. scale — size or range
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. plane — a tool
  20. scale — in music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. craft — boats

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