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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. perch — the fish
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. season — in sport
  5. pitch — completely
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stem — to come from
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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