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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fall — the season
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bank — of a river
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pop — soda
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bound — certain
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pop — to visit
  15. last — final
  16. bank — for money
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pop — music
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. bank — for money
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fall — to drop

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