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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. craft — boats
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. mine — for digging
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bore — to drill
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. tube — the underground
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. plane — a tool
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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