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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bore — to drill
  3. craft — a skill
  4. last — finally
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bore — to tire
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. chest — a box
  11. plane — a tool
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. craft — boats
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. chest — of your body
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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