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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. roll — a list
  4. board — a committee
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. content — happy
  12. board — to get on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. press — to push
  15. roll — a cake
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rash — hasty
  18. press — a publisher
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. rash — a series
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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