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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. perch — the fish
  3. field — for sport
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. board — a committee
  8. field — a subject
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — to go on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. content — happy
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. can — a tin
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. board — to get on
  18. content — the amount
  19. can — to be able to
  20. last — finally
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. field — farmland
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. last — final

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