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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — for catching
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. present — a gift
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. net — after costs
  9. mate — a friend
  10. saw — the tool
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. date — the fruit
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — to breed
  20. net — in sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. perch — the fish
  24. present — the time now

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