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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. face — part of the head
  2. staff — a stick
  3. face — to confront
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. ball — a dance
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. face — to point toward
  12. net — after costs
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. net — for catching
  16. track — a song
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. ball — a great time
  19. staff — employees
  20. wax — to grow
  21. staff — employees
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. net — in sport
  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