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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. pass — a permit
  2. rash — hasty
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. face — part of the head
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. rash — a series
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. plane — a tool
  16. pitch — completely
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. face — to confront
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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