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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. perch — the fish
  6. deal — to handle
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. net — for catching
  9. rock — a stone
  10. net — after costs
  11. chest — a box
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. net — in sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chest — of your body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. chest — of your body

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