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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. net — after costs
  5. charge — electricity
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. charge — a price
  12. clip — to cut
  13. squash — to crush
  14. perch — the fish
  15. track — a song
  16. net — for catching
  17. pitch — completely
  18. clip — a video
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. track — a path
  21. net — in sport
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. perch — for a bird

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