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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. net — after costs
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. net — for catching
  8. season — in sport
  9. snap — to click
  10. net — in sport
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pound — a weight
  18. perch — the fish
  19. toast — bread
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. wound — an injury

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