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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lean — to bend
  3. firm — a company
  4. can — a tin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. firm — decided
  7. perch — the fish
  8. net — in sport
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. net — after costs
  12. last — final
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. firm — steady
  15. can — a tin
  16. board — a committee
  17. last — to go on
  18. board — to get on
  19. lean — thin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. can — to be able to
  23. last — finally
  24. rule — government

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