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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fine — all right
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. content — happy
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. saw — the tool
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. ground — the earth
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ground — a position
  16. content — the amount
  17. hand — help
  18. ground — crushed
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stand — to bear

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