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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 120 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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bound — obliged
  4. face — to point toward
  5. spell — letters
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. squash — to crush
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. squash — the sport
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. perch — the fish
  19. content — happy
  20. bound — certain
  21. face — to confront
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — tied together
  24. spell — magic

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