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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: bound · march · rush · face · game · spell · saw · perch

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. face — part of the head
  4. game — a match
  5. face — to confront
  6. bound — obliged
  7. spell — magic
  8. perch — the fish
  9. march — the month
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. march — the month
  12. face — to point toward
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. spell — a short time
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rush — hurry
  17. march — music
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. spell — letters
  24. bound — certain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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