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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. land — to come down
  5. pop — to visit
  6. land — ground
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pop — music
  12. present — a gift
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — a country
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. pop — soda
  18. content — the amount
  19. perch — the fish
  20. content — happy
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. present — there

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