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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bore — to drill
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bore — to tire
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. dip — to sink
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. net — for catching
  17. prune — to trim
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. sharp — exactly

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