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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: stick · file · pit · rash · season · chest · face · perch

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pit — a hole
  3. face — to point toward
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chest — a box
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. face — to confront
  15. season — in sport
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pit — in a race
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — of the year
  22. chest — of your body
  23. perch — for a bird
  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