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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. craft — boats
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. shower — to wash
  5. row — a line
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — to paddle
  12. shower — rain
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — the fish
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cue — a signal
  17. net — for catching
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. net — in sport
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cue — a hint
  22. ground — a position
  23. cue — for pool
  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