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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.

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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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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: cabinet · row · net · mouse · bat · nail · perch · pop

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. net — after costs
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — music
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. net — for catching
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a line
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. net — in sport

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