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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
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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: chest · calf · field · toast · hand · shower · foot · craft

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. craft — a skill
  4. shower — to wash
  5. craft — boats
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. chest — a box
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. chest — of your body
  12. toast — bread
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. hand — help
  15. shower — rain
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. field — a subject
  21. foot — a measure
  22. chest — of your body
  23. field — farmland
  24. hand — in cards

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