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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. current — happening now
  4. cap — a lid
  5. face — to confront
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cap — of ice
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. current — electric
  13. file — a document
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stem — to come from
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. file — a tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. current — of water
  22. cap — a hat
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. face — to point toward

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