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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. land — to come down
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. pop — music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. face — to confront
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. can — a tin
  17. land — a country
  18. can — a tin
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. face — to point toward
  21. can — to be able to
  22. land — ground
  23. date — the fruit
  24. face — part of the head

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