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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. perch — the fish
  4. tear — to rip
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. content — the amount
  11. spring — the season
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. suit — clothes
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. suit — in cards
  21. toast — bread
  22. content — happy
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. toast — the most admired

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