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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. march — the month
  3. capital — money
  4. bank — for money
  5. content — the amount
  6. capital — a city
  7. content — happy
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. march — music
  11. object — a thing
  12. perch — the fish
  13. object — to protest
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bank — of a river
  16. board — a committee
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bank — for money
  22. object — an aim
  23. march — the month
  24. board — to get on

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