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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cell — in biology
  5. craft — boats
  6. row — to paddle
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. fine — all right
  10. drill — the tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cell — a phone
  14. drill — a practice
  15. net — after costs
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fine — high quality
  19. tear — from crying
  20. face — to confront
  21. drill — army training
  22. net — for catching
  23. row — a line
  24. net — in sport

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