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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. board — a committee
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. board — to get on
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. drill — the tool
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. drill — army training
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mine — for digging
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — to fit
  17. swing — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. swing — in golf
  20. suit — in cards
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. face — to confront

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