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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: dip · scale · key · season · race · perch · face · pitcher

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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 — to point toward
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. race — humankind
  6. key — for a lock
  7. scale — in music
  8. key — in music
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. perch — the fish
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. key — the most important part
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. race — a contest
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. race — the arms race
  17. dip — to sink
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. perch — for a bird
  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