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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rash — a series
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fork — in a road
  6. content — happy
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — to bend
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. tear — from crying
  11. club — for golf
  12. perch — the fish
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rash — hasty
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. tear — to rip
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. lean — thin
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. tear — from crying
  24. club — a group

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