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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 · hand · chest · lie · plane · net · sharp · drill

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. net — in sport
  5. chest — of your body
  6. net — for catching
  7. hand — help
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. craft — a skill
  15. drill — army training
  16. chest — a box
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. drill — the tool
  19. craft — boats
  20. net — after costs
  21. chest — of your body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. sharp — clever
  24. drill — a practice

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