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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.

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: chest · bore · date · key · wake · roll · craft · club

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — a box
  5. wake — a trail
  6. craft — a skill
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. craft — boats
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. key — for a lock
  20. club — for golf
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a list
  23. club — a group
  24. bore — to tire

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