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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. perch — the fish
  4. race — a contest
  5. chest — a box
  6. current — happening now
  7. chest — of your body
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. foot — a measure
  13. current — of water
  14. season — in sport
  15. content — happy
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. content — the amount
  20. chest — of your body
  21. race — the arms race
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. race — humankind
  24. current — electric

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