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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. net — for catching
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. net — in sport
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rash — hasty
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. perch — the fish
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. mine — for digging
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. net — after costs
  17. rash — a series
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mouse — for a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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