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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: chest · sharp · craft · rest · date · snap · temple · fork

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rest — what's left
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. craft — boats
  6. chest — a box
  7. sharp — clever
  8. snap — to click
  9. chest — of your body
  10. date — the fruit
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. craft — a skill
  24. rest — what's left

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