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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: craft · racket · face · calf · ground · mine · coach · scale

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. craft — a skill
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ground — a position
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mine — for digging
  10. face — part of the head
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. craft — boats
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. face — to point toward
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ground — the earth
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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