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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 · coach · row · craft · chest · track · game · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. craft — a skill
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. game — a match
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. face — to confront
  9. game — wild animals
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. row — a line
  12. face — part of the head
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chest — of your body
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. craft — boats
  18. chest — of your body
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. track — to keep track
  21. chest — a box
  22. row — to paddle
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. jam — a tight spot

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