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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pit — in a race
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. can — to be able to
  5. roll — a list
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. can — a tin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. roll — a cake
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. content — the amount
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. content — happy
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. can — a tin
  21. perch — the fish
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pit — a hole
  24. date — the fruit

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