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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: foot · nail · mouse · roll · pitcher · perch · club · face

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. foot — a measure
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. club — for golf
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. club — for dancing
  18. perch — the fish
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. club — a group
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. face — to point toward

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