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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cell — in biology
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pound — a weight
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. sharp — clever
  16. perch — the fish
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. suit — to fit
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. content — the amount

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