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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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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 · march · snap · foot · court · face · wake · stick

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. court — for sport
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. snap — to click
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. court — of a king
  12. foot — a measure
  13. craft — boats
  14. face — part of the head
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. craft — a skill
  18. march — the month
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. court — of law
  22. wake — a trail
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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