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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. face — part of the head
  3. season — in sport
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. saw — the tool
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. face — to point toward
  17. saw — the tool
  18. face — to confront
  19. capital — a city
  20. season — of the year
  21. craft — boats
  22. toast — bread
  23. bark — to shout
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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