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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 · drill · game · rush · tube · hand · pit · season

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. game — a match
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. game — wild animals
  7. drill — army training
  8. season — in sport
  9. hand — help
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. drill — a practice
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rush — hurry
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. craft — boats
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. drill — the tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. game — a kind of play
  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