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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. face — to confront
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bore — to tire
  6. craft — boats
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bore — to drill
  9. court — for sport
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. court — of law
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. craft — a skill
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. court — of a king
  24. bowl — a dish

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