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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. content — happy
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — an illness
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. content — the amount
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cold — not warm
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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