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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: toast · face · perch · temple · mate · stick · fork · rush

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — to confront
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rush — hurry
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mate — a partner
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mate — to breed
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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