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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: face · perch · pit · saw · bowl · squash · fork · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. march — music
  5. pit — in a race
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. march — the month
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. face — to point toward
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. face — to confront
  20. pit — a hole
  21. face — part of the head
  22. perch — the fish
  23. saw — the tool
  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