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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. net — in sport
  3. pop — to visit
  4. face — to confront
  5. charge — in control
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. face — to point toward
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stock — shares
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pop — music
  14. net — after costs
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stock — goods
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pop — soda
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. net — for catching

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