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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: leaves · pitcher · bat · ball · mine · face · roll · perch

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mine — for digging
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. face — to point toward
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. roll — a list
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. roll — a cake
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pitcher — a jug

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