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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. net — in sport
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — rain
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. net — for catching
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. net — after costs
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. charge — in control
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — a tool

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