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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: net · saw · roll · spell · perch · track · deal · present

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. present — a gift
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. net — in sport
  7. spell — letters
  8. roll — a cake
  9. spell — a short time
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. track — a path
  12. present — the time now
  13. perch — the fish
  14. present — there
  15. net — for catching
  16. spell — magic
  17. deal — to handle
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. track — a song
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. roll — a list
  24. track — to keep track

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