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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: row · perch · face · straw · fall · staff · cabinet · sharp

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. face — part of the head
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fall — to drop
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. fall — the season
  10. staff — a stick
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. row — to paddle
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. staff — employees
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. face — to point toward
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. perch — the fish
  19. sharp — clever
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. staff — employees
  23. face — to confront
  24. row — a quarrel

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