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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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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. current — happening now
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. current — electric
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lean — thin
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lean — to bend
  16. current — of water
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bowl — a dish
  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