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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 116 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. firm — decided
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cell — in biology
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. firm — steady
  8. swing — in golf
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cell — a phone
  11. perch — the fish
  12. swing — music
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. root — of a plant
  16. firm — a company
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. deal — to handle
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. content — the amount
  23. content — happy
  24. swing — to play 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