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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. perch — the fish
  5. ground — the earth
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. sharp — clever
  9. ground — a position
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mark — a grade
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wake — a trail
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. face — to confront
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mark — a trace

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