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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. perch — the fish
  3. land — to come down
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. land — ground
  7. net — in sport
  8. chip — to eat
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — a country
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. foot — a measure
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chip — for betting
  20. net — for catching
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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