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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 120 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. cue — a signal
  3. face — to point toward
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bat — the animal
  8. craft — a skill
  9. chest — a box
  10. face — to confront
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. land — a country
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cue — a hint
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. land — to come down
  17. craft — boats
  18. foot — a measure
  19. tube — a container
  20. chest — of your body
  21. land — ground
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cue — for pool

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