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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mug — to rob
  3. ground — a position
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. net — after costs
  6. perch — the fish
  7. pop — soda
  8. season — of the year
  9. ground — the earth
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mug — a face
  12. season — in sport
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. row — a line
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — crushed
  19. mug — a cup
  20. net — for catching
  21. pop — to visit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. net — in sport
  24. pop — music

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