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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. face — to confront
  3. file — a tool
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. file — a document
  7. face — part of the head
  8. hand — in cards
  9. craft — boats
  10. key — for a lock
  11. firm — a company
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. firm — steady
  14. key — in music
  15. roll — a list
  16. face — to point toward
  17. key — the most important part
  18. firm — decided
  19. roll — a cake
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. craft — a handicraft

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