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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mug — a face
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. court — of law
  8. mug — to rob
  9. face — to confront
  10. mug — a cup
  11. face — to point toward
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. face — part of the head
  15. court — for sport
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. mate — to breed
  20. scale — size or range
  21. court — of a king
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mate — a friend

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