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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bound · face · perch · rash · plane · court · mine · sharp

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. face — to confront
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. bound — certain
  6. sharp — clever
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. court — of law
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. perch — the fish
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bound — tied together
  19. court — of a king
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. face — to point toward
  23. court — for sport
  24. bound — obliged

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