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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. craft — boats
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. object — to protest
  6. face — to point toward
  7. court — of a king
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wake — a trail
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — a tool
  12. object — a thing
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. court — for sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wind — moving air
  18. court — of law
  19. pitch — completely
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. face — to confront
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. craft — a handicraft

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