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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: face · object · season · net · cell · mate · perch · squash

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. net — in sport
  3. object — an aim
  4. cell — a phone
  5. net — after costs
  6. season — in sport
  7. face — to confront
  8. season — of the year
  9. squash — to crush
  10. mate — a friend
  11. object — a thing
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. object — to protest
  14. mate — a partner
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — in biology
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mate — to breed
  21. net — for catching
  22. perch — the fish
  23. face — to point toward
  24. perch — for a bird

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