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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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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. race — a contest
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. content — the amount
  8. race — humankind
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ground — the earth
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. content — happy
  20. mate — a partner
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. dip — to sink
  23. ground — a position
  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