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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.

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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: lie · craft · cap · face · club · cold · foot · suit

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cold — an illness
  4. craft — boats
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. craft — a skill
  9. suit — clothes
  10. foot — a measure
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cap — a lid
  13. suit — to fit
  14. lie — to recline
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cap — of ice
  17. suit — in cards
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cap — a hat
  20. face — to confront
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. club — for golf
  23. cold — not warm
  24. face — part of the head

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