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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: mug · drill · pound · field · craft · last · chip · staff

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mug — to rob
  4. craft — boats
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. field — farmland
  9. mug — a cup
  10. drill — army training
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mug — a face
  14. last — final
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. field — for sport
  18. pound — a weight
  19. field — a subject
  20. craft — a skill
  21. drill — a practice
  22. last — finally
  23. chip — for betting
  24. staff — a stick

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