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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. net — after costs
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bulb — for light
  12. last — finally
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bulb — for light
  17. net — for catching
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. net — in sport
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cabinet — ministers

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