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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 116 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. net — in sport
  3. pop — to visit
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. net — for catching
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. face — to confront
  18. pitch — completely
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. patient — a sick person

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