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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. content — happy
  3. swing — in golf
  4. perch — the fish
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. content — the amount
  8. swing — music
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mate — to breed
  13. net — after costs
  14. mate — a partner
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. craft — boats
  17. swing — to play on
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. mate — a friend
  23. net — for catching
  24. last — to go on

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