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

Word bank: bowl · chair · pit · lie · drill · fine · perch · content

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. content — happy
  4. pit — a hole
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fine — all right
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pit — in a race
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. drill — the tool
  21. content — the amount
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fine — high quality
  24. perch — for a bird

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