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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. content — the amount
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. stock — shares
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. dip — to sink
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. content — happy
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stock — goods

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