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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. net — after costs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. last — final
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. net — in sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. clip — a video
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. last — to go on
  13. clip — to cut
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. staff — employees
  17. net — for catching
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lie — to recline
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. last — finally
  24. perch — the fish

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