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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. content — the amount
  3. can — to be able to
  4. file — a document
  5. chest — of your body
  6. file — a tool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mark — a trace
  10. chest — of your body
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — goods
  13. can — a tin
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a line of people
  17. stock — shares
  18. content — happy
  19. can — a tin
  20. mark — a grade
  21. chest — a box
  22. season — in sport
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mark — to pay attention

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