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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. craft — a skill
  10. hand — in cards
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. face — to point toward
  20. spring — the season
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. face — to confront

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