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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: craft · mate · rule · face · stand · sharp · last · cap

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. craft — boats
  4. cap — of ice
  5. last — finally
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. face — to confront
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. last — final
  12. mate — to breed
  13. sharp — clever
  14. face — to point toward
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. last — to go on
  22. rule — a law
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cap — a lid

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