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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pitch — completely
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. last — final
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. last — to go on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rock — music
  19. face — to confront
  20. kick — in football
  21. perch — the fish
  22. last — finally
  23. face — part of the head
  24. perch — for a bird

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