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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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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: shower · stick · arm · perch · mate · dip · rule · net

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. dip — a sauce
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. net — for catching
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. dip — to sink
  6. mate — a partner
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. shower — rain
  9. net — in sport
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mate — to breed
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. mate — a friend
  20. shower — to wash
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rule — a law
  23. net — after costs
  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