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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chair — a leader
  3. content — the amount
  4. perch — the fish
  5. content — happy
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. game — a match
  10. capital — money
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. club — for dancing
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. game — wild animals
  19. club — a group
  20. club — for golf
  21. capital — a city
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. chair — to sit on

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