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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.

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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: field · season · face · sharp · deal · last · straw · craft

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. face — part of the head
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. deal — to handle
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. craft — a skill
  9. last — to go on
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. season — of the year
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. field — for sport
  14. craft — boats
  15. last — final
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. field — a subject
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. face — to confront
  20. sharp — clever
  21. face — to point toward
  22. field — farmland
  23. last — finally
  24. straw — dry grass

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