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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: hide · date · perch · present · net · cap · lean · cue

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — after costs
  4. present — there
  5. lean — thin
  6. cue — for pool
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cue — a hint
  9. present — the time now
  10. cap — of ice
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. present — a gift
  13. cap — a lid
  14. net — in sport
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cap — a hat
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cue — a signal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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