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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. content — the amount
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. perch — the fish
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rash — a series
  18. stand — to bear
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. content — happy
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bat — the animal

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