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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: calf · fall · rule · craft · mouse · sharp · field · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. craft — boats
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. field — farmland
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rule — government
  9. chair — a leader
  10. field — for sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fall — to drop
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. field — a subject
  15. rule — a law
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. craft — a skill

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