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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 · foot · mine · content · tear · pit · stick · perch

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. content — happy
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pit — in a race
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tear — from crying
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. perch — the fish
  20. content — the amount
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bowl — a football final

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