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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. lie — to recline
  3. key — the most important part
  4. net — for catching
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. key — for a lock
  8. net — in sport
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. key — in music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. perch — the fish
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bat — the animal
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a ring
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bat — in an idiom

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