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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.

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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. chest — a box
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — the amount
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chest — of your body
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chest — of your body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. content — happy
  22. branch — a division
  23. perch — the fish
  24. object — to protest

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