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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: hand · craft · land · coach · ground · face · bowl · track

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. land — ground
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. land — to come down
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. craft — a skill
  14. face — to confront
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. land — a country
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. craft — boats
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. hand — help

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