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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 · club · shower · cell · nail · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. craft — boats
  6. cell — a phone
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. club — a group
  9. shower — to wash
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cell — in biology
  12. club — for golf
  13. shower — rain
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  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