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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.

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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: hand · net · cabinet · perch · rush · mate · hide · cap

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — after costs
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — help
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cap — a hat
  23. net — for catching
  24. hand — in cards

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