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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · chest · kid · key · press · racket

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chest — of your body
  4. press — newspapers
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. key — in music
  9. key — for a lock
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. key — the most important part
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chest — a box
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — child
  16. craft — a skill
  17. press — to push
  18. racket — a loud noise

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