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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — all right
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. face — to confront
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bound — obliged
  13. face — to point toward
  14. ground — a position
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ground — crushed
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cell — a phone
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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