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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bat · toast · field · lie · perch · tube · cabinet

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. field — farmland
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. toast — bread
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. net — in sport
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — a container
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lie — to recline
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for 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