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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. sharp — clever
  5. date — the fruit
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — the cause
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. content — happy
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. root — of a word
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. fine — high quality

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