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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. plane — a tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. face — to confront
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. sharp — clever
  11. craft — a skill
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. cell — a phone
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mark — a trace
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. craft — boats
  24. face — to point toward

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