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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · cold · pass · face · sharp · dip · perch · chair

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. perch — the fish
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. face — to confront
  13. pass — a permit
  14. dip — to sink
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cold — not warm
  18. face — part of the head
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. chair — a leader

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