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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bank — for money
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. swing — to play on
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rest — what's left
  17. swing — music
  18. bank — of a river
  19. swing — in golf
  20. content — the amount
  21. perch — the fish
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rest — a break
  24. face — part of the head

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