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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. content — the amount
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. content — happy
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. perch — the fish
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. sharp — clever
  18. hand — help
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — in sport
  21. hand — in cards
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cap — a hat
  24. deal — an agreement

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