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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: craft · cabinet · row · snap · kick · bowl · ground · chair

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ground — a position
  9. snap — to click
  10. row — to paddle
  11. craft — boats
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. ground — the earth
  16. row — a line
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. chair — a leader
  20. kick — in football
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ground — crushed
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bowl — a football final

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