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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. perch — the fish
  3. net — after costs
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. club — for golf
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. net — for catching
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. net — in sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. club — a group
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wax — to grow
  24. sharp — exactly

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