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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. face — to confront
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spring — a coil
  5. snap — to click
  6. spring — of water
  7. craft — a skill
  8. face — part of the head
  9. craft — boats
  10. chip — to eat
  11. field — for sport
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. field — farmland
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. chip — for betting
  19. spring — the season
  20. field — a subject
  21. present — the time now
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fine — all right
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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