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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. craft — a skill
  4. roll — a cake
  5. wound — an injury
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. content — the amount
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. can — a tin
  17. foot — a measure
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. face — to confront
  20. roll — a list
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. content — happy

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