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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lean — thin
  3. plane — a tool
  4. perch — the fish
  5. track — a song
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. face — to confront
  9. pitch — completely
  10. track — to keep track
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. track — a path

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