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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rock — music
  3. dip — to sink
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mug — a face
  6. tear — to rip
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. mug — a cup
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. root — of a word
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rock — a stone
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — in sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. perch — the fish
  24. ball — a round shape

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