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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. lean — thin
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. face — to confront
  6. chip — for betting
  7. lean — to bend
  8. craft — a skill
  9. fork — in a road
  10. face — to point toward
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. face — part of the head
  14. roll — a list
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. rest — a break
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. roll — a cake

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