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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mine — for digging
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cue — a signal
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. ground — a position
  11. swing — music
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. face — to confront
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cue — a hint
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. swing — to play on
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. content — happy
  23. safe — out of danger
  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