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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
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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: hand · mouse · perch · face · roll · tear · present · court

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. face — to confront
  3. roll — a cake
  4. face — part of the head
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. roll — a list
  8. hand — help
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. present — the time now
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hand — in cards
  14. present — there
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. tear — from crying
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. face — to point toward
  22. tear — to rip
  23. present — a gift
  24. court — for sport

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