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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cell — a phone
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bound — tied together
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. face — to point toward
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cell — in biology
  11. face — part of the head
  12. object — a thing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. object — to protest
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. face — to confront
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bound — certain
  20. rock — music
  21. object — an aim
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bound — obliged
  24. saw — the tool

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