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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: rock · perch · swing · content · face · fan · last · racket

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — finally
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rock — a stone
  5. swing — in golf
  6. last — final
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. content — the amount
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — to go on
  12. rock — music
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. face — to confront
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. content — happy
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. swing — music

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