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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chip — for betting
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spring — the season
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cell — in biology
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cell — a phone
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. content — happy
  17. spring — of water
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. craft — boats
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. craft — a skill
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — in sport

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