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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: ball · perch · cell · coach · face · mug · lie · mine

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. ball — a great time
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cell — in biology
  9. perch — the fish
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mug — a face
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ball — a dance
  22. face — to confront
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lie — an untruth

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