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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cell — a phone
  6. row — to paddle
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. content — happy
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. kid — child
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. row — a line
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. kid — to tease

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