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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — a city
  3. staff — employees
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. track — to keep track
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. lie — to recline
  12. staff — employees
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. tear — to rip
  19. capital — money
  20. perch — the fish
  21. tear — from crying
  22. staff — a stick
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. tear — from crying

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