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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. face — to confront
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. roll — a list
  6. perch — the fish
  7. face — to point toward
  8. march — the month
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mate — a friend
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. roll — a cake
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. toast — bread
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mate — to breed
  24. march — the month

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