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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. face — part of the head
  3. key — the most important part
  4. suit — clothes
  5. craft — a skill
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. key — in music
  10. band — a music group
  11. suit — in cards
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. face — to point toward
  14. field — for sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. face — to confront
  18. band — a ring
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. craft — boats
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. suit — to fit
  23. key — for a lock
  24. date — the fruit

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