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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. craft — boats
  3. fine — all right
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. craft — a skill
  6. fine — high quality
  7. march — music
  8. drill — army training
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. march — the month
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. face — part of the head
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — the tool
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wound — an injury
  20. face — to confront
  21. kick — in football
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wound — an injury

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