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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.

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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · perch · fall · dip · stock · pound · net · file

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. dip — to sink
  8. fall — the season
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. net — in sport
  12. file — a document
  13. net — for catching
  14. file — a tool
  15. fall — to drop
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. net — after costs
  19. stock — shares
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stock — goods
  23. pound — a weight
  24. ball — a round shape

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