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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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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: hide · cell · chair · craft · ball · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ball — a great time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cell — a phone
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. ball — a dance
  14. craft — boats
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chair — a leader
  18. craft — a skill

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