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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 120 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. net — in sport
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. net — after costs
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. net — for catching
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. tube — a container
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pit — in a race
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pit — a hole
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wave — of the sea

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