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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: date · season · hand · craft · mark · toast · wound · face

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. season — in sport
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mark — a trace
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. craft — boats
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. face — part of the head
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. season — of the year
  21. toast — bread
  22. face — to confront
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wound — an injury

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