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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: band · face · track · cap · pitch · row · cue · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. band — a ring
  3. face — part of the head
  4. band — a music group
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. row — a line
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. row — to paddle
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cap — a hat
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pitch — completely
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. face — to confront
  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