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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: date · last · fan · content · scale · perch · face · saw

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. face — to point toward
  3. saw — the tool
  4. content — the amount
  5. face — part of the head
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. last — to go on
  12. saw — the tool
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. date — the fruit
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. content — happy
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. face — to confront

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