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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ball — a dance
  6. stem — to come from
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. ball — a great time
  12. net — for catching
  13. season — in sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. tear — to rip
  20. perch — the fish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rush — hurry
  23. net — in sport
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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