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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. current — of water
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. wake — a trail
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. current — electric
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stock — shares
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. stock — goods
  14. face — to confront
  15. capital — a city
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. craft — a skill
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. capital — money
  23. fork — in a road
  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