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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mark — a trace
  3. content — happy
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cue — a hint
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. chip — for betting
  12. cue — for pool
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — in music
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chip — to eat
  19. content — the amount
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mark — a grade
  24. temple — a place of worship

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