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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. toast — bread
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. land — ground
  7. current — of water
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. current — happening now
  10. content — the amount
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. content — happy
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cold — an illness
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. current — electric
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. perch — the fish
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. perch — for a bird

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