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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · craft · chair · land · can · key

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. face — to point toward
  3. craft — boats
  4. key — the most important part
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. can — a tin
  7. key — for a lock
  8. craft — a skill
  9. can — a tin
  10. key — in music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. face — to confront
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. face — part of the head
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. chair — a leader
  18. land — a country

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