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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. season — of the year
  3. suit — in cards
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — an illness
  10. perch — the fish
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. cold — not warm
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fork — in a road
  18. face — part of the head
  19. toast — bread
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bass — low music
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. season — in sport
  24. perch — for a bird

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