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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mate — a friend
  3. content — the amount
  4. chest — a box
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. perch — the fish
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pass — a permit
  9. fall — to drop
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fall — the season
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. firm — steady
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pitch — completely
  24. chest — of your body

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