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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. present — there
  3. mug — a cup
  4. present — a gift
  5. lie — to recline
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. court — for sport
  12. cap — a lid
  13. craft — a skill
  14. present — the time now
  15. craft — boats
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fork — in a road
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. chest — a box
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cap — of ice

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