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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. craft — boats
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pit — a hole
  11. craft — a skill
  12. file — a tool
  13. cell — in biology
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — happy
  17. deal — to handle
  18. pit — in a race
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. cell — a phone
  24. perch — the fish

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