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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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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: face · scale · chest · saw · land · perch · sharp · object

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. face — to point toward
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. sharp — clever
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. land — to come down
  16. face — part of the head
  17. scale — size or range
  18. saw — the tool
  19. perch — the fish
  20. chest — of your body
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. object — to protest
  23. face — to confront
  24. chest — of your body

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