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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 120 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. face — to confront
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bass — low music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bound — tied together
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — obliged
  16. file — a document
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bound — certain
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bass — the fish
  24. face — part of the head

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