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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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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: cap · leaves · kid · face · ball · craft · fork · content

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. kid — to tease
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. craft — boats
  8. cap — a hat
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cap — a lid
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ball — a great time
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fork — in a road
  17. face — to confront
  18. ball — a dance
  19. content — happy
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. content — the amount
  24. face — to point toward

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