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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: last · pound · face · file · perch · season · track · cold

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. track — a path
  5. season — in sport
  6. file — a tool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. season — of the year
  12. file — a line of people
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. track — a song
  16. last — finally
  17. file — a document
  18. last — to go on
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. face — to point toward
  23. last — final
  24. pound — a weight

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