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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. snap — to click
  3. net — for catching
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bear — the animal
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. degree — from a university
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. degree — temperature
  16. kick — in football
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rock — a stone

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