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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 116 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. cell — in biology
  4. present — a gift
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cell — a phone
  9. present — the time now
  10. face — to confront
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. face — to point toward
  13. race — the arms race
  14. present — there
  15. race — humankind
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. face — part of the head
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. race — a contest
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cell — in a prison

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