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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. field — farmland
  4. last — final
  5. board — to get on
  6. last — to go on
  7. suit — to fit
  8. craft — a skill
  9. face — to confront
  10. can — a tin
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — clothes
  13. face — part of the head
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. field — a subject
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bat — the animal
  19. board — a committee
  20. last — finally
  21. craft — boats
  22. field — for sport
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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