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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: perch · pound · content · suit · present · sharp · cold · mug

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. suit — to fit
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. content — happy
  10. suit — in cards
  11. mug — a face
  12. cold — not warm
  13. present — the time now
  14. mug — to rob
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. present — a gift
  19. suit — clothes
  20. pound — a weight
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. cold — an illness
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mug — a cup

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