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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: content · craft · suit · hand · race · rock · leaves · chest

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. content — happy
  3. race — the arms race
  4. craft — boats
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — a skill
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. hand — help
  10. suit — in cards
  11. chest — a box
  12. race — a contest
  13. suit — clothes
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. content — the amount
  21. race — humankind
  22. suit — to fit
  23. hand — in cards
  24. leaves — of a tree

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