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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. can — a tin
  3. court — for sport
  4. cue — a hint
  5. can — a tin
  6. fork — in a road
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. fall — the season
  12. net — for catching
  13. can — to be able to
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. court — of law
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fall — to drop
  18. mine — for digging
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — in sport
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. court — of a king
  23. fall — to drop
  24. perch — the fish

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