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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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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: perch · fan · ball · game · face · wake · foot · mine

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wake — a trail
  3. ball — a dance
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. foot — a measure
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. game — a match
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. face — to confront
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fan — to cool the air

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