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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 116 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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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. perch — for a bird
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wake — a trail
  7. net — in sport
  8. dip — to sink
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. file — a document
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. net — for catching
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. fine — all right
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fine — high quality
  24. plane — an aircraft

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