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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rock — music
  3. last — final
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rock — a stone
  6. mate — to breed
  7. suit — to fit
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. ball — a dance
  12. face — to point toward
  13. last — to go on
  14. suit — clothes
  15. drill — army training
  16. mate — a partner
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. suit — in cards
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. face — part of the head
  22. last — finally
  23. drill — the tool
  24. ball — a great time

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