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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fine — high quality
  6. saw — the tool
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. march — the month
  9. kid — to tease
  10. content — happy
  11. march — the month
  12. saw — the tool
  13. kid — child
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fine — all right
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mug — a face
  18. march — music
  19. content — the amount
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. perch — the fish
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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