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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 124 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. face — to point toward
  3. net — in sport
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. net — for catching
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to click
  11. rest — a break
  12. bear — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. face — to confront
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. face — part of the head
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rest — what's left

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