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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ball — a great time
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. key — the most important part
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wound — an injury
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. court — of law
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. key — in music
  15. craft — boats
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. face — to confront
  20. court — of a king
  21. ball — a dance
  22. wound — an injury
  23. court — for sport
  24. craft — a skill

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