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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  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. cap — of ice
  3. spring — of water
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. charge — a price
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. charge — electricity
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rash — hasty
  11. perch — the fish
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. rash — a series
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. net — for catching
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. charge — in control
  21. cap — a lid
  22. net — in sport
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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