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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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468
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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. suit — to fit
  5. saw — the tool
  6. clip — to cut
  7. craft — boats
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. clip — for paper
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. face — to point toward
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — in cards
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. saw — the tool
  21. clip — a video
  22. craft — a skill
  23. face — part of the head
  24. fan — a supporter

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