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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — a hint
  10. rest — what's left
  11. face — to confront
  12. rest — a break
  13. cue — for pool
  14. last — finally
  15. craft — a skill
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — to go on
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. last — final
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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