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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. face — part of the head
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. clip — a video
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. craft — boats
  10. clip — to cut
  11. tear — from crying
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. face — to point toward
  16. tear — to rip
  17. hand — help
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hand — in cards
  24. clip — for paper

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