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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. fine — all right
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. track — to keep track
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. track — a song
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. track — a path
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bound — certain
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. content — the amount
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. content — happy
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. perch — the fish

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