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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. craft — boats
  4. drill — army training
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bound — certain
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bound — obliged
  11. drill — the tool
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. spell — letters
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. drill — a practice
  16. spell — magic
  17. cell — a phone
  18. spell — a short time
  19. face — part of the head
  20. date — the fruit
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. face — to confront
  24. bound — tied together

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