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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. craft — boats
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. board — a committee
  9. mine — for digging
  10. face — part of the head
  11. craft — a skill
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. face — to confront
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rock — music
  19. date — the fruit
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. board — to get on
  24. face — to point toward

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