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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 124 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. craft — a skill
  3. chest — a box
  4. rash — a series
  5. bass — low music
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bass — the fish
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. craft — boats
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rock — music
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. date — the fruit
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rash — hasty

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