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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 116 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: cell · face · shower · craft · wake · court · stick · board

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wake — a trail
  3. board — to get on
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. board — a committee
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. court — of law
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. craft — boats
  16. cell — a phone
  17. craft — a skill
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. court — for sport
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. face — to point toward
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. face — to confront
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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