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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: cabinet · pit · clip · chest · cell · board · mate · craft

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a skill
  5. board — a committee
  6. chest — a box
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cell — in biology
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pit — in a race
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pit — a hole

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