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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. perch — the fish
  3. chest — of your body
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chest — of your body
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. content — the amount
  12. chest — a box
  13. content — happy
  14. firm — decided
  15. scale — in music
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — a company
  18. scale — size or range
  19. hand — help
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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