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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. court — for sport
  3. last — to go on
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. last — final
  8. rest — a break
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. rash — hasty
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rest — what's left
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — finally
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. face — to confront
  18. court — of a king
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rest — what's left
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. court — of law
  24. perch — the fish

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