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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cap — a hat
  9. march — music
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. cap — a lid
  14. perch — the fish
  15. land — to come down
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. face — to confront

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