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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. suit — clothes
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. content — the amount
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. suit — to fit
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. lie — to recline
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. perch — the fish
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitch — completely
  21. cell — a phone
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. content — happy
  24. perch — for a bird

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