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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: craft · mark · racket · drill · chip · shower · march · bore

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. drill — a practice
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. shower — rain
  5. march — music
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chip — to eat
  8. march — the month
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chip — for betting
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. craft — a skill
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mark — a trace
  18. drill — army training
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. drill — the tool
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bore — to tire
  23. march — the month
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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