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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mug — to rob
  3. content — happy
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitch — completely
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mug — a cup
  13. content — the amount
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mug — a face
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mate — to breed

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