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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. 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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rock — a stone
  5. perch — the fish
  6. field — a subject
  7. present — there
  8. field — farmland
  9. present — the time now
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. content — happy
  14. spring — of water
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. spring — the season
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. present — a gift
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. field — for sport
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. content — the amount
  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