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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: fork · rush · snap · lie · clip · perch · net · jam

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. net — after costs
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. snap — to click
  10. clip — a video
  11. rush — hurry
  12. net — in sport
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. net — for catching
  15. lie — to recline
  16. clip — to cut
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. perch — the fish
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. clip — for paper

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