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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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Word bank
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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. scale — in music
  3. content — the amount
  4. saw — the tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rest — what's left
  11. net — for catching
  12. squash — to crush
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. chair — a leader
  18. saw — the tool
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rest — a break
  21. net — after costs
  22. content — happy
  23. net — in sport
  24. scale — for weighing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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