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

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. roll — a list
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. chip — to eat
  7. face — part of the head
  8. perch — the fish
  9. face — to confront
  10. bat — the animal
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. dip — to sink
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. chip — for betting
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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