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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. craft — boats
  3. rest — a break
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — part of the head
  7. tube — the underground
  8. degree — an amount
  9. press — newspapers
  10. tube — a container
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. degree — temperature
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rest — what's left
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. face — to point toward
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rest — what's left
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. face — to confront

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