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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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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: saw · fork · face · mark · dip · perch · bowl · bat

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. saw — the tool
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — the tool
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mark — a grade
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. face — to confront
  24. perch — the fish

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