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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. shower — rain
  3. rock — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. mark — a trace
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mark — a grade
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. face — to confront
  10. rest — a break
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. face — part of the head
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rest — what's left
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wind — moving air
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rest — what's left

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