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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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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: cap · lie · craft · wave · court · swing · fork · face

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. lie — to recline
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. face — part of the head
  5. swing — to play on
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cap — a lid
  13. face — to confront
  14. cap — of ice
  15. swing — music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. court — of law
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fork — in a road
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cap — a hat

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