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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. face — to confront
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cell — a phone
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. face — to point toward
  9. file — a line of people
  10. face — part of the head
  11. file — a tool
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. court — for sport
  15. craft — a skill
  16. file — a document
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. court — of a king
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. game — a match
  22. court — of law
  23. craft — boats
  24. game — wild animals

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