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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. tube — a container
  3. march — music
  4. roll — a list
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mug — a face
  7. net — in sport
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. roll — a cake
  10. march — the month
  11. bank — for money
  12. mug — to rob
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mug — a cup
  15. tube — the underground
  16. net — for catching
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. march — the month
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bank — for money
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bank — of a river

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