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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: perch · ground · date · bowl · pit · kid · dip · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pit — a hole
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pit — in a race
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kid — child
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. ground — a position
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. date — the fruit
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. kid — to tease
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. dip — a sauce

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