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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. file — a line of people
  3. net — for catching
  4. file — a tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. file — a document
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — after costs
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stem — to come from
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mug — a face
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. sharp — clever
  19. net — in sport
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rush — to hurry

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