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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mark — a trace
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. field — farmland
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. face — to confront
  11. field — a subject
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. board — a committee
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. field — for sport
  20. squash — the sport
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mark — a grade
  24. board — to get on

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