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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: perch · face · rash · track · safe · rock · last · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. track — a song
  3. rock — music
  4. rash — hasty
  5. face — to point toward
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rock — a stone
  8. last — finally
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. face — to confront
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. last — to go on
  15. rash — a series
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. last — final
  22. face — part of the head
  23. track — a path
  24. safe — a strongbox

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