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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. face — to point toward
  3. field — farmland
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. file — a document
  6. present — there
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. land — ground
  14. craft — boats
  15. present — the time now
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. craft — a skill
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ball — a great time
  21. present — a gift
  22. ball — a dance
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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