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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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Word bank
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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rest — a break
  4. perch — the fish
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. content — happy
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pass — a permit
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. rule — a law
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. kick — in football
  18. rest — what's left
  19. content — the amount
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. band — a music group
  23. rule — government
  24. band — a ring

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