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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. net — after costs
  3. saw — the tool
  4. net — in sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cap — a lid
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pass — a permit
  10. key — the most important part
  11. cap — a hat
  12. key — in music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. key — for a lock
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. branch — a division
  20. net — for catching
  21. hand — help
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cap — of ice

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