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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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 — for catching
  2. kid — child
  3. lean — thin
  4. net — in sport
  5. mark — a grade
  6. net — after costs
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. spell — magic
  13. object — a thing
  14. kid — to tease
  15. perch — the fish
  16. object — to protest
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. object — an aim
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. spell — letters
  24. perch — for a bird

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