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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: swing · ball · mouse · plane · chest · bore · cold · craft

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. swing — music
  13. bore — to tire
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bore — to drill
  17. craft — a skill
  18. chest — a box
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chest — of your body
  21. swing — to play on
  22. cold — an illness
  23. swing — in golf
  24. craft — boats

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