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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. net — for catching
  3. track — a song
  4. cap — a hat
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — a path
  7. ball — a great time
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. clip — a video
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cap — a lid
  15. track — to keep track
  16. perch — the fish
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cap — of ice
  23. ball — a dance
  24. kick — with a leg

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