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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.

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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 · deal · mouse · stick · game · ground · cold

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. craft — a skill
  3. face — part of the head
  4. craft — boats
  5. face — to confront
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. face — to point toward
  11. ground — a position
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. game — a match
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. cold — an illness
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ground — crushed
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. ground — the earth

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