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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: present · chest · craft · squash · rush · rest · drill · court

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. craft — a skill
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rest — what's left
  6. court — of a king
  7. present — a gift
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. present — there
  10. drill — a practice
  11. craft — boats
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. chest — of your body
  14. present — the time now
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. rest — a break
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rest — what's left
  19. squash — to crush
  20. court — of law
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. squash — the sport
  24. court — for sport

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