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

Word bank: drill · swing · face · mate · perch · staff · pit · mine

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. perch — the fish
  9. staff — employees
  10. mate — to breed
  11. staff — a stick
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. drill — army training
  14. pit — in a race
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. swing — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mate — a friend
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pit — a hole
  23. swing — to play on
  24. staff — employees

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