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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: snap · firm · craft · plane · stock · mine · court · face

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — decided
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. face — part of the head
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. snap — to click
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. firm — a company
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. mine — for digging
  14. face — to confront
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. court — for sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. stock — shares
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. plane — a tool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. stock — goods
  24. plane — in geometry

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