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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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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: mine · craft · rule · cap · fine · mark · cold · face

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rule — a law
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. rule — government
  5. fine — all right
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mark — a grade
  10. craft — boats
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mark — a trace
  15. craft — a skill
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cap — of ice
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cold — an illness

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