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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. face — to confront
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. track — to keep track
  7. face — part of the head
  8. spell — a short time
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. spell — letters
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — a path
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to point toward
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. track — a song
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wound — an injury
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. spell — magic
  24. perch — the fish

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