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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: object · perch · mate · roll · game · rash · net · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mate — a friend
  3. net — after costs
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. game — a match
  6. perch — the fish
  7. rash — a series
  8. object — an aim
  9. roll — a list
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mate — a partner
  13. row — a line
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. object — to protest
  16. mate — to breed
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. rash — hasty
  21. object — a thing
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. roll — a cake

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