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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: ground · saw · perch · face · sharp · fan · arm · rule

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. perch — the fish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ground — a position
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. sharp — clever
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to confront
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rule — government
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rule — a law
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. perch — for a bird

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