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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. perch — the fish
  4. lean — to bend
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. scale — in music
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rule — government
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pit — in a race
  15. content — the amount
  16. rule — a law
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. lean — thin
  20. content — happy
  21. pit — a hole
  22. scale — size or range
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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