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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. fall — to drop
  4. last — to go on
  5. content — the amount
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fall — the season
  8. current — of water
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. content — happy
  11. fall — to drop
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. hand — help
  15. face — to confront
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. current — electric
  20. face — to point toward
  21. current — happening now
  22. last — final
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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