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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rock — music
  3. craft — boats
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — happy
  7. chip — to eat
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. perch — the fish
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. tear — to rip
  17. band — a ring
  18. chip — for betting
  19. band — a music group
  20. craft — a skill
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pit — in a race
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. chip — in a computer

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