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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: suit · face · spell · wind · rock · perch · drill · race

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. race — a contest
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — the tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spell — letters
  8. race — humankind
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rock — music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. suit — clothes
  13. drill — army training
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wind — moving air
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. suit — to fit
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. drill — a practice
  22. spell — a short time
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. face — part of the head

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