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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. suit — to fit
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. kick — in football
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. band — a ring
  7. suit — in cards
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. roll — a list
  11. chest — of your body
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. chest — a box
  14. roll — a cake
  15. band — a music group
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stand — to bear
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stand — for spectators

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