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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
468
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: bat · saw · craft · game · file · kid · nail · bore

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kid — to tease
  6. game — wild animals
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kid — child
  9. file — a line of people
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. craft — boats
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. file — a tool
  15. bore — to tire
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bore — to drill
  18. game — a match
  19. file — a document
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. saw — 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