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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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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: net · fall · club · foot · perch · shower · face · straw

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. face — to confront
  7. net — after costs
  8. fall — to drop
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. perch — the fish
  11. shower — to wash
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. fall — to drop
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. foot — a measure
  16. shower — rain
  17. club — for golf
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fall — the season
  22. face — to point toward
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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