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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: mate · sharp · charge · net · craft · chair · nail · trunk

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. craft — a skill
  4. net — in sport
  5. mate — a friend
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. mate — to breed
  8. craft — boats
  9. charge — electricity
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. mate — a partner
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. sharp — clever
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. charge — in control
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. chair — a leader
  24. charge — a price

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