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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: bore · spell · last · lean · sharp · bat · craft · chip

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. last — final
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spell — a short time
  6. last — finally
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bore — to drill
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. last — to go on
  14. chip — to eat
  15. spell — magic
  16. lean — thin
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. spell — letters
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. craft — boats
  23. sharp — clever
  24. chip — for betting

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