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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. mate — a friend
  6. kid — child
  7. game — wild animals
  8. face — to confront
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kid — to tease
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rash — a series
  16. face — part of the head
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mate — a partner
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rash — hasty

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