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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.

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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: scale · chair · drill · kick · craft · kid · ball · bark

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. craft — boats
  3. drill — a practice
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ball — a great time
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ball — a dance
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. scale — size or range
  13. kid — child
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. scale — in music
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. craft — a skill
  21. drill — army training
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bark — to shout
  24. drill — the tool

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