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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. fall — the season
  3. net — for catching
  4. land — ground
  5. shower — rain
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. fall — to drop
  12. net — in sport
  13. fall — to drop
  14. perch — the fish
  15. hand — help
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. shower — to wash
  22. hand — in cards
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cabinet — ministers

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