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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. land — to come down
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. foot — a measure
  6. mark — a grade
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mark — a trace
  9. perch — the fish
  10. craft — a skill
  11. squash — the sport
  12. craft — boats
  13. land — a country
  14. net — after costs
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — ground
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. squash — to crush
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. net — in sport
  24. foot — the bottom

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