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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: rule · present · field · cabinet · craft · wound · chair · saw

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. rule — government
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. present — there
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — the time now
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. field — for sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. field — farmland
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. craft — a skill
  16. craft — boats
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. rule — a law
  22. field — a subject
  23. present — a gift
  24. rule — to rule out

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