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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · saw · perch · kick · face · leaves · swing · bowl

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. toast — bread
  3. swing — in golf
  4. perch — the fish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. face — to point toward
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. face — part of the head
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. swing — music
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. swing — to play on
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. saw — the tool
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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