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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. spell — magic
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. content — the amount
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. toast — bread
  14. spell — letters
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — to cut
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. clip — for paper
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. content — happy
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. clip — a video
  24. spell — a short time

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