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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. toast — bread
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. face — part of the head
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. cell — a phone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. spring — of water
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. roll — a list
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. face — to confront
  21. cell — in biology
  22. land — ground
  23. face — to point toward
  24. roll — a cake

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