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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: face · rush · craft · straw · key · mug · chair · season

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chair — a leader
  4. face — to confront
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mug — a face
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mug — to rob
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. face — to point toward
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. season — in sport
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mug — a cup
  22. key — in music
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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