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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. wind — moving air
  3. last — final
  4. net — after costs
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wind — moving air
  10. net — in sport
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. net — for catching
  13. stand — to bear
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — happy
  17. last — to go on
  18. content — the amount
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mark — a grade
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. last — finally

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