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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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 — boats
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. present — the time now
  4. face — part of the head
  5. present — there
  6. craft — a skill
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. plane — a tool
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. present — a gift
  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