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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · craft · patient · present · pitcher · race · face · game

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. present — a gift
  5. race — a contest
  6. craft — boats
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. race — humankind
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. present — there
  11. face — to confront
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. race — the arms race
  14. face — part of the head
  15. game — a match
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — a skill
  19. present — the time now
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. game — wild animals
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. game — a kind of play
  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