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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. content — happy
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ground — the earth
  5. track — a song
  6. perch — the fish
  7. ground — crushed
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pass — a permit
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. track — a path

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