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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. lie — to recline
  4. current — of water
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. craft — a skill
  8. shower — to wash
  9. squash — the sport
  10. shower — rain
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mark — a grade
  15. face — to confront
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. squash — to crush
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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