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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cap — a lid
  3. content — the amount
  4. sharp — clever
  5. content — happy
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pit — in a race
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pop — soda
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pop — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rash — hasty
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. pop — to visit

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