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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. face — part of the head
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — letters
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. face — to point toward
  18. lean — thin
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. craft — boats
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. drill — army training

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