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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: saw · date · craft · net · bay · stick · chest · face

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chest — a box
  3. net — after costs
  4. face — to point toward
  5. net — for catching
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. face — to confront
  8. chest — of your body
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. saw — the tool
  13. craft — a skill
  14. net — in sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. craft — boats
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. saw — the tool
  23. date — the fruit
  24. face — part of the head

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