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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: cue · rush · nail · craft · board · content · shower · kid

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cue — for pool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. craft — boats
  12. cue — a hint
  13. shower — to wash
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. craft — a handicraft

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