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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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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: face · drill · perch · ruler · cabinet · chair · mine · season

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. face — part of the head
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chair — a leader
  6. season — of the year
  7. drill — the tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. face — to confront
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. season — in sport
  15. drill — army training
  16. perch — the fish
  17. face — to point toward
  18. drill — a practice
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — for digging
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cabinet — ministers

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