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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — part of the head
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. craft — boats
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. craft — a skill
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. date — the fruit
  17. net — after costs
  18. present — a gift
  19. face — to point toward
  20. net — in sport
  21. face — to confront
  22. mug — a face
  23. present — the time now
  24. hand — help

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