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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. file — a document
  3. mate — a friend
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. file — a tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ground — a position
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. content — the amount
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. track — a path
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. perch — the fish
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. track — a song
  20. ground — the earth
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. content — happy
  24. track — to keep track

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