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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — the time now
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. mug — to rob
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cell — a phone
  11. staff — employees
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. cell — in biology
  14. face — to confront
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. staff — a stick
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. present — a gift
  23. mug — a face
  24. staff — employees

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