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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chair — a leader
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. face — to confront
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. craft — a skill
  10. perch — the fish
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. season — of the year
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. season — in sport
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. craft — boats

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