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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.

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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: craft · foot · tear · face · safe · rush · cell · court

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rush — hurry
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. craft — boats
  7. tear — from crying
  8. face — to point toward
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — of a king
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — a phone
  15. tear — to rip
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. tear — from crying
  19. court — for sport
  20. craft — a skill
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. court — of law
  24. rush — to hurry

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