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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. file — a line of people
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. net — after costs
  5. file — a document
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — in sport
  8. can — to be able to
  9. drill — the tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ball — a dance
  13. cold — not warm
  14. file — a tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. ball — a great time
  22. perch — the fish
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. net — for catching

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