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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: craft · fork · field · sharp · game · face · fan · cell

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. field — for sport
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. field — a subject
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. field — farmland
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. game — wild animals
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. craft — boats
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. game — a match
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cell — in biology
  24. face — to confront

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