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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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. perch — the fish
  4. content — happy
  5. can — a tin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. prune — to trim
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. track — a song
  11. can — to be able to
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. prune — to trim
  19. track — to keep track
  20. chair — a leader
  21. tube — a container
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. track — a path
  24. can — a tin

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