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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. drill — a practice
  4. scale — in music
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. face — to confront
  7. net — in sport
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. scale — size or range
  15. mate — a partner
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mate — a friend
  19. perch — the fish
  20. drill — the tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. drill — army training
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. leaves — of a tree

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