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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · stand · perch · content · rest · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mate — a friend
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rest — a break
  6. stand — to bear
  7. content — the amount
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. rest — what's left
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. mate — to breed
  15. content — happy
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mate — a partner

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