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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. staff — employees
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. craft — boats
  6. bore — to tire
  7. craft — a skill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rock — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. field — for sport
  13. staff — a stick
  14. present — there
  15. bore — to drill
  16. present — a gift
  17. field — a subject
  18. bat — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. field — farmland
  21. rock — a stone
  22. present — the time now
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. craft — a handicraft

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