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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. net — in sport
  4. last — finally
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. perch — the fish
  7. current — happening now
  8. squash — to crush
  9. march — music
  10. last — final
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. net — for catching
  13. current — electric
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. current — of water
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. march — the month
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. squash — the sport
  22. last — to go on
  23. march — the month
  24. perch — for a bird

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