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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: chest · foot · craft · bowl · fork · cell · land · board

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. land — ground
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. craft — a skill
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. chest — a box
  14. land — to come down
  15. board — to get on
  16. land — a country
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. board — a committee
  19. cell — in biology
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. craft — boats
  24. cell — a phone

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