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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mug — a face
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mug — a cup
  6. suit — to fit
  7. last — finally
  8. hand — in cards
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. last — to go on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. net — for catching
  14. suit — in cards
  15. net — after costs
  16. last — final
  17. pit — a hole
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pit — in a race
  21. suit — clothes
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. hand — help
  24. net — in sport

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