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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cue — a hint
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rest — a break
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mine — for digging
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rash — a series
  15. game — a match
  16. rest — what's left
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cue — for pool
  19. face — to confront
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cue — a signal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — what's left
  24. fall — to drop

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