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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. rash — a series
  4. content — the amount
  5. board — to get on
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. perch — the fish
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. board — a committee
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rash — hasty
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. content — happy
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. last — to go on
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. present — a gift
  24. last — finally

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