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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. 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. chair — to sit on
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fine — high quality
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. content — the amount
  9. perch — the fish
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pass — a permit
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. content — happy
  15. fine — all right
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. 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