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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. perch — the fish
  10. face — part of the head
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. face — to point toward
  14. march — the month
  15. plane — a tool
  16. can — to be able to
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. march — music
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. sharp — clever
  22. march — the month
  23. face — to confront
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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