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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. present — the time now
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — happy
  7. court — for sport
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. content — the amount
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. dip — to sink
  13. season — of the year
  14. present — there
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. perch — the fish
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. season — in sport
  19. court — of law
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. court — of a king
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. perch — for a bird

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