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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. squash — to crush
  3. mate — a partner
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. content — the amount
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pop — soda
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pop — music
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pass — a permit

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