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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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. sharp — exactly
  4. face — to point toward
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. present — the time now
  11. mine — for digging
  12. track — a song
  13. present — a gift
  14. present — there
  15. craft — a skill
  16. face — part of the head
  17. craft — boats
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. track — a path
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pitch — completely

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