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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bank — for money
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bank — of a river
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. net — in sport
  8. ground — the earth
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bank — for money
  11. mug — to rob
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bat — the animal
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mug — a face
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. net — after costs
  24. date — on the calendar

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