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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: pit · bear · hand · perch · net · last · rock · cue

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. cue — a hint
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rock — music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pit — in a race
  11. net — in sport
  12. last — finally
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pit — a hole
  19. last — to go on
  20. rock — a stone
  21. perch — the fish
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. perch — for a bird

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