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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. hand — help
  5. shower — to wash
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. perch — the fish
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rock — a stone
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. shower — rain
  13. rock — music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. scale — size or range
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. content — happy
  20. mark — a trace
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. scale — in music
  24. mark — to pay attention

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