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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. face — to point toward
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. face — part of the head
  5. net — after costs
  6. clip — a video
  7. ball — a great time
  8. clip — to cut
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. craft — a skill
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. charge — in control
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. scale — size or range
  17. net — in sport
  18. clip — for paper
  19. charge — a price
  20. scale — in music
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. charge — electricity
  23. face — to confront
  24. net — for catching

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