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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. net — for catching
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kid — child
  9. net — in sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rush — hurry
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. kid — to tease
  18. net — after costs
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. perch — the fish

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