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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — for catching
  5. perch — the fish
  6. field — a subject
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. roll — a cake
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. toast — bread
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. net — after costs
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. field — farmland
  18. rash — a series
  19. net — in sport
  20. rash — hasty
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. field — for sport
  24. roll — a list

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