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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. face — to confront
  5. mine — for digging
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fine — high quality
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. spring — the season
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. firm — decided
  13. face — part of the head
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fine — all right
  16. firm — steady
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. firm — a company
  21. spring — of water
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. face — to point toward

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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