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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: game · net · row · mug · wound · perch · present · rash

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. net — in sport
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wound — an injury
  5. present — there
  6. net — for catching
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rash — a series
  9. present — a gift
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mug — to rob
  13. net — after costs
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. present — the time now
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. game — wild animals
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. game — a match
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — a line
  24. game — a kind of play

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