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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mug — a face
  3. snap — to click
  4. ground — a position
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rash — hasty
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rash — a series
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mug — to rob
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ground — crushed
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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