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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fine — high quality
  5. field — for sport
  6. root — the cause
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. field — farmland
  9. face — part of the head
  10. game — a match
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. craft — a skill
  13. field — a subject
  14. sharp — clever
  15. face — to confront
  16. craft — boats
  17. face — to point toward
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pop — music
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fine — all right
  23. pop — soda
  24. root — of a word

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