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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. content — happy
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. content — the amount
  11. march — music
  12. perch — the fish
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chip — to eat
  21. saw — the tool
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. trunk — of a tree

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