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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: net · fan · mate · snap · last · swing · ball · perch

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. net — for catching
  3. swing — in golf
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — final
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. swing — to play on
  11. last — finally
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. last — to go on
  15. snap — to click
  16. perch — the fish
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. swing — music
  24. perch — for a bird

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