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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — happy
  3. object — a thing
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. toast — bread
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. capital — a city
  8. content — the amount
  9. net — in sport
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. object — an aim
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — after costs
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. capital — money
  19. perch — the fish
  20. board — a committee
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. board — to get on
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. object — to protest

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