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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bound — certain
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tube — the underground
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bound — tied together
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. face — to point toward
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tube — a container
  22. face — to confront
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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