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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. object — an aim
  3. hand — help
  4. object — to protest
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hand — in cards
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. perch — the fish
  12. face — part of the head
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. object — a thing
  15. face — to confront
  16. stand — to bear
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. face — to point toward
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. temple — a place of worship

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