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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. face — to confront
  5. plane — a tool
  6. face — to point toward
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. press — newspapers
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. press — a publisher
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. lie — to recline
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. face — part of the head
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. saw — the tool
  23. press — to push
  24. craft — a skill

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