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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rash — hasty
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. key — for a lock
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. face — to confront
  8. squash — the sport
  9. perch — the fish
  10. key — in music
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. key — the most important part
  14. row — a line
  15. pass — a permit
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. face — to point toward
  18. squash — to crush
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rash — a series

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