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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. object — an aim
  5. bank — for money
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. spell — magic
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. perch — the fish
  11. content — happy
  12. bank — for money
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. content — the amount
  17. object — to protest
  18. net — in sport
  19. bank — of a river
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. object — a thing

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