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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. saw — the tool
  4. spell — letters
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. ground — crushed
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — magic
  9. craft — a skill
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. fine — high quality
  13. face — to confront
  14. spell — a short time
  15. row — to paddle
  16. race — the arms race
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ground — the earth
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. ground — a position
  23. fine — all right
  24. craft — boats

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