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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — a container
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. net — in sport
  8. perch — the fish
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. roll — a cake
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. net — after costs
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. club — for dancing
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. net — for catching
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. roll — a list
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. club — for golf
  23. date — the fruit
  24. club — a group

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