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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. face — to confront
  3. sharp — clever
  4. face — part of the head
  5. craft — a skill
  6. track — to keep track
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — a song
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. craft — boats
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. prune — to trim
  13. track — a path
  14. march — the month
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. march — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. hand — help
  20. march — the month
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. season — of the year
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. hand — in cards

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