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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: craft · kid · degree · board · suit · tear · rash · chair

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. degree — temperature
  5. kid — child
  6. rash — a series
  7. tear — to rip
  8. board — a committee
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. suit — clothes
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. craft — boats
  16. chair — a leader
  17. degree — from a university
  18. tear — from crying
  19. degree — an amount
  20. suit — to fit
  21. rash — hasty
  22. suit — in cards
  23. kid — to tease
  24. board — to get on

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