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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: face · ground · vault · pound · chip · perch · temple · row

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ground — crushed
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. ground — a position
  10. pound — a weight
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. vault — a safe
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a line
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ground — the earth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. face — to confront
  24. chip — in a computer

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