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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tube — a container
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. plane — a tool
  14. net — after costs
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. snap — to click
  21. tube — the underground
  22. net — for catching
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. leaves — of a tree

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