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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wind — moving air
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. key — for a lock
  7. face — to confront
  8. perch — the fish
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. date — the fruit
  12. ball — a great time
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. face — part of the head
  16. ball — a dance
  17. face — to point toward
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — in music
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. date — on the calendar

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