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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. net — after costs
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. ball — a great time
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. present — the time now
  13. fall — to drop
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. net — for catching
  16. game — a match
  17. ball — a dance
  18. tube — a container
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. present — there
  22. net — in sport
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fall — the season

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