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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. face — to confront
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. saw — the tool
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pitch — completely
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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