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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. ground — crushed
  4. net — for catching
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. ground — a position
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. can — a tin
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. perch — the fish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. net — in sport
  24. prune — to trim

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