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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. craft — boats
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. net — in sport
  7. track — a song
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. shower — rain
  11. track — to keep track
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. track — a path
  15. net — for catching
  16. shower — to wash
  17. snap — to click
  18. perch — the fish
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bore — to tire
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bore — to drill
  24. craft — a skill

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