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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 120 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: file · ground · craft · present · last · bore · chest · track

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ground — a position
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. present — a gift
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. file — a tool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bore — to drill
  13. track — a song
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bore — to tire
  16. track — a path
  17. ground — crushed
  18. file — a document
  19. track — to keep track
  20. file — a line of people
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. craft — boats
  24. last — to go on

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