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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 116 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. perch — the fish
  3. face — to confront
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. plane — a tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. face — to point toward
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. court — of law
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. court — for sport
  12. face — part of the head
  13. shower — rain
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. shower — to wash
  21. chair — a leader
  22. snap — to click
  23. court — of a king
  24. chair — a professorship

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