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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
468
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: face · perch · hide · pit · bass · shower · stock · wake

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bass — the fish
  3. shower — to wash
  4. perch — the fish
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pit — in a race
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stock — goods
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. wake — a trail
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stock — shares
  15. bass — low music
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pit — a hole
  22. shower — rain
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stock — a soup base

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