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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rash — a series
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pitch — completely
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rock — music
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fall — the season
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. perch — the fish
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rash — hasty
  23. content — happy
  24. pitch — a sports field

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