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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cap — a hat
  7. net — after costs
  8. hand — help
  9. face — to confront
  10. net — in sport
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bear — the animal
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. face — to point toward
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. staff — employees
  24. net — for catching

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