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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.

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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: perch · row · last · suit · mine · pit · cell · face

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. suit — in cards
  4. last — finally
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. last — final
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. face — to point toward
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mine — for digging
  15. row — to paddle
  16. suit — to fit
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. row — a line
  21. last — to go on
  22. suit — clothes
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pit — in a race

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