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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. perch — the fish
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bat — the animal
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. face — part of the head
  12. game — wild animals
  13. face — to point toward
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. game — a match
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. branch — a division
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — to confront
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. safe — a strongbox

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