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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. content — happy
  3. march — the month
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a music group
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. band — a ring
  9. rush — hurry
  10. staff — a stick
  11. march — the month
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. staff — employees
  20. perch — the fish
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. march — music

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