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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. net — for catching
  3. face — to point toward
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. plane — a tool
  8. net — after costs
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stock — goods
  13. net — in sport
  14. stock — shares
  15. face — to confront
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. face — part of the head
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. plane — an aircraft

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