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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rest — what's left
  3. craft — boats
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spell — letters
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — magic
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rest — a break
  23. bat — the animal
  24. craft — a skill

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