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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. net — after costs
  8. court — for sport
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — humankind
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. race — a contest
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — in sport
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lean — thin
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mouse — the animal

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