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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. scale — in music
  4. race — the arms race
  5. season — in sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. season — of the year
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. scale — size or range
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mine — for digging
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hand — help
  18. race — humankind
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. race — a contest

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