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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. net — after costs
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. shower — rain
  9. rest — what's left
  10. stock — shares
  11. net — in sport
  12. track — a song
  13. snap — to click
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rest — a break
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. fork — in a road
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. rest — what's left
  24. net — for catching

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