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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · march · racket · tear · chair · roll

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. roll — a list
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chair — a leader
  9. tear — from crying
  10. craft — a skill
  11. roll — a cake
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. craft — boats
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. march — the month
  18. racket — for tennis

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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