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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: bore · craft · track · foot · club · shower · chair · squash

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — a leader
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. track — a song
  6. craft — boats
  7. club — for golf
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bore — to tire
  11. track — to keep track
  12. squash — to crush
  13. club — a group
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. squash — the sport
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. track — a path
  20. craft — a skill
  21. shower — rain
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bore — to drill

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