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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mark — a grade
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rush — hurry
  15. fine — all right
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. craft — boats
  19. fine — high quality
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cold — not warm

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