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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 116 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: land · racket · object · face · craft · fan · track · hide

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. land — ground
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a skill
  9. face — to confront
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. face — to point toward
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. track — to keep track
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — to protest
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. land — to come down
  20. object — an aim
  21. land — a country
  22. face — part of the head
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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