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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: roll · perch · key · face · cold · mug · club · board

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mug — to rob
  3. roll — a cake
  4. key — in music
  5. face — to confront
  6. perch — the fish
  7. key — the most important part
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. board — to get on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cold — an illness
  12. key — for a lock
  13. board — a committee
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. club — a group
  16. roll — a list
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. club — for dancing
  21. face — to point toward
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cold — not warm

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