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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. firm — steady
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — to tease
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. can — to be able to
  9. face — part of the head
  10. hand — help
  11. face — to confront
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. season — of the year
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. firm — decided
  22. perch — the fish
  23. kid — child
  24. firm — a company

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