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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — the amount
  6. last — to go on
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. content — happy
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bound — tied together
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. prune — to trim
  14. object — a thing
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. perch — the fish
  20. object — to protest
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. object — an aim
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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