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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. face — to confront
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cap — a lid
  5. tear — from crying
  6. face — to point toward
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bass — the fish
  13. perch — the fish
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bass — low music
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pass — a permit
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. face — part of the head
  24. kick — in football

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