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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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 point toward
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. face — part of the head
  5. current — of water
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. last — final
  9. current — happening now
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. perch — the fish
  12. date — the fruit
  13. scale — in music
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. current — electric
  16. face — to confront
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. last — to go on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — size or range
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. last — finally

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