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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. squash — the sport
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. suit — clothes
  10. content — happy
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. perch — the fish
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. object — a thing
  15. squash — to crush
  16. object — an aim
  17. content — the amount
  18. object — to protest
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. shower — rain
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pound — for dogs

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