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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: craft · race · chest · pound · hide · drill

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. race — humankind
  3. drill — a practice
  4. craft — a skill
  5. race — a contest
  6. craft — boats
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pound — a weight
  11. chest — a box
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. drill — army training
  15. race — the arms race
  16. drill — the tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. chest — of your body

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