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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. face — to confront
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. face — part of the head
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pop — music
  11. craft — boats
  12. craft — a skill
  13. row — a line
  14. pitch — completely
  15. drill — army training
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. drill — the tool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. fork — in a road
  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