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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.

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: pop · cold · file · face · board · perch · rash · calf

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. face — to confront
  4. pop — music
  5. face — to point toward
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. file — a tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. board — to get on
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. file — a line of people
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cold — an illness
  20. file — a document
  21. rash — hasty
  22. board — a committee
  23. rash — a series
  24. board — a flat piece

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