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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. saw — the tool
  4. plane — a tool
  5. club — for golf
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rush — hurry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. craft — boats
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. club — for dancing
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. face — to confront
  20. lean — thin
  21. club — a group
  22. craft — a skill
  23. face — part of the head
  24. lean — to bend

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