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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 120 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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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. content — happy
  3. fine — all right
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. firm — a company
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. fine — high quality
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. content — the amount
  18. cell — a phone
  19. firm — steady
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cell — in biology
  24. firm — decided

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