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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. band — a ring
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mug — a face
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mug — a cup
  8. chip — to eat
  9. chip — for betting
  10. band — a music group
  11. content — happy
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. content — the amount
  19. date — the fruit
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mug — to rob
  24. band — a rubber band

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