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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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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. land — ground
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a great time
  8. march — the month
  9. net — in sport
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. land — to come down
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. march — music
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. land — a country
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. net — for catching
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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