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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. scale — size or range
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cold — not warm
  7. scale — in music
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cold — an illness
  11. lie — to recline
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wind — moving air
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wind — moving air
  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