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

Word bank: saw · race · cue · craft · chest · bowl

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cue — for pool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. chest — a box
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cue — a signal
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. race — the arms race
  15. saw — the tool
  16. race — a contest
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. race — humankind

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