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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. net — after costs
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. row — a line
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ball — a great time
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bear — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ball — a dance
  18. face — to confront
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. net — for catching
  24. bear — to put up with

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