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

Word bank: race · leaves · fork · present · craft · object · capital · face

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. present — the time now
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. capital — money
  11. race — humankind
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. craft — boats
  15. capital — a city
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. face — part of the head
  18. race — a contest
  19. object — to protest
  20. craft — a skill
  21. object — an aim
  22. fork — in a road
  23. object — a thing
  24. present — a gift

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