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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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kick — in football
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. craft — boats
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. field — a subject
  11. club — for golf
  12. face — part of the head
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. club — a group
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. field — farmland
  17. cue — for pool
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. club — for dancing
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cue — a hint
  23. field — for sport
  24. cue — a signal

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