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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · bat · hide · mug · tear · perch

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mug — a face
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. tear — from crying
  8. net — for catching
  9. mug — to rob
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bat — the animal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mug — a cup
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tear — to rip

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