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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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Word bank
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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: swing · perch · face · date · ball · object · patient · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. swing — in golf
  3. ball — a great time
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ball — a dance
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. object — an aim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. object — to protest
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. swing — music
  16. cap — a lid
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. swing — to play on
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. face — to point toward
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. object — a thing
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. date — the fruit

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