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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. root — of a word
  3. swing — to play on
  4. current — happening now
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. root — of a plant
  9. face — to point toward
  10. last — final
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rock — music
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. root — the cause
  19. face — to confront
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. face — part of the head
  22. current — electric
  23. current — of water
  24. pitch — completely

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