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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — ground
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bulb — for light
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. face — to confront
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pass — a permit
  13. march — music
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. chest — a box
  16. land — to come down
  17. march — the month
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chest — of your body
  20. land — a country
  21. march — the month
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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