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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. net — for catching
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. season — of the year
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — rain
  9. cue — a hint
  10. perch — the fish
  11. hand — in cards
  12. net — after costs
  13. cue — a signal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. shower — to wash
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. net — in sport
  21. bulb — for light
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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