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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. file — a tool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bulb — for light
  8. dip — to sink
  9. key — in music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. key — for a lock
  17. clip — a video
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. net — in sport
  20. perch — the fish
  21. key — the most important part
  22. file — a document
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. clip — to cut

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