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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
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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: face · craft · mug · field · bay · pop · stick · sharp

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pop — music
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. field — a subject
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. craft — boats
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. craft — a skill
  16. field — farmland
  17. pop — soda
  18. mug — a face
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. field — for sport
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. sharp — exactly

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