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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. net — in sport
  4. stem — to come from
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. net — after costs
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. deal — to handle
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. ball — a great time
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. net — for catching
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rash — a series

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