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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bound — tied together
  5. march — music
  6. season — in sport
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. foot — a measure
  9. march — the month
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — certain
  13. season — of the year
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. march — the month
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. face — to confront
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bound — obliged
  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