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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. season — of the year
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. season — in sport
  5. fine — high quality
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rush — hurry
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mark — a grade
  13. staff — employees
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fine — all right
  16. face — to confront
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mark — a trace
  19. staff — employees
  20. face — part of the head
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. rush — to hurry
  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