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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. shower — rain
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cue — a signal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. net — in sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wake — a trail
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. net — for catching
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. perch — the fish
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cue — a hint

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