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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rock — a stone
  3. last — final
  4. shower — to wash
  5. saw — the tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. last — to go on
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. net — after costs
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. face — to confront
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. face — to point toward
  16. net — in sport
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rock — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. last — finally
  22. net — for catching
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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