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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mug · chair · pop · hide · perch · kick · face · rash

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pop — music
  5. mug — to rob
  6. rash — a series
  7. kick — in football
  8. perch — the fish
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mug — a cup
  18. face — to confront
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pop — soda
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — part of the head
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. face — to point toward

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