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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bass — low music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — a series
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bass — the fish
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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