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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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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: kid · chair · chip · craft · fall · perch · racket · prune

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. craft — a skill
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chip — for betting
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. kid — child
  7. craft — boats
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chip — to eat
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. prune — to trim
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. fall — to drop
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. perch — the fish
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. kid — to tease
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chair — to sit 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