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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. present — there
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. content — the amount
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fall — to drop
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. present — a gift
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mark — a trace
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fall — the season
  19. snap — to click
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mine — for digging
  22. content — happy
  23. present — the time now
  24. bat — the animal

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