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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. face — part of the head
  3. craft — boats
  4. field — a subject
  5. race — the arms race
  6. field — farmland
  7. race — humankind
  8. game — a match
  9. kid — child
  10. game — wild animals
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ground — crushed
  13. face — to point toward
  14. ground — a position
  15. face — to confront
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. race — a contest
  22. kid — to tease
  23. craft — a skill
  24. field — for sport

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