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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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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 · cold · shower · toast · bowl · saw · craft · rock

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rock — a stone
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — rain
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — music
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. toast — bread
  16. cold — an illness
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. saw — the tool
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. shower — to wash
  23. craft — boats
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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