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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 120 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: perch · mate · chip · wake · arm · face · racket · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. net — after costs
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mate — a friend
  7. net — in sport
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. perch — the fish
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wake — a trail
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. face — to point toward

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