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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. face — part of the head
  3. perch — the fish
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. saw — the tool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. face — to confront
  22. chair — a leader
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pass — to spend time

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