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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rest — what's left
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. suit — clothes
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — the amount
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. last — to go on
  12. suit — in cards
  13. last — final
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pop — music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pop — to visit
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pop — soda

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