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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chest — of your body
  4. face — part of the head
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. current — electric
  13. current — of water
  14. chest — of your body
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. chest — a box
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. current — happening now
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. kid — child
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kid — to tease
  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