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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. perch — the fish
  3. content — the amount
  4. present — a gift
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rest — what's left
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. present — there
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. row — a line
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. present — the time now
  16. content — happy
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. charge — a price
  22. row — to paddle
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. perch — for a bird

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