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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. rock — music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. face — to confront
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cue — a hint
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bank — of a river
  12. face — to point toward
  13. clip — a video
  14. wake — a trail
  15. court — of a king
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bank — for money
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. court — of law
  21. cue — for pool
  22. clip — to cut
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bank — for money

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