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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. net — in sport
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. wind — moving air
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. hand — help
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. hand — in cards
  16. net — after costs
  17. pit — a hole
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wind — moving air
  21. vault — a safe
  22. toast — bread
  23. net — for catching
  24. mate — a friend

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