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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pop — soda
  6. present — there
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. present — the time now
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rock — music
  12. face — to confront
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. face — part of the head
  15. present — a gift
  16. rock — a stone
  17. row — a line
  18. pop — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. row — to paddle
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. perch — the fish

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