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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.

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: face · ground · calf · dip · net · craft · key · bear

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. key — for a lock
  3. craft — a skill
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. key — the most important part
  6. face — to confront
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. ground — a position
  9. net — in sport
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. key — in music
  12. craft — boats
  13. dip — to sink
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bear — the animal
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. net — after costs
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. ground — the earth
  20. face — part of the head
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  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