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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. can — to be able to
  3. roll — a cake
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. net — after costs
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. perch — the fish
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. rock — music
  12. date — the fruit
  13. can — a tin
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. can — a tin

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