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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: date · mark · kid · board · toast · perch · spell · content

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. toast — bread
  3. board — to get on
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. content — the amount
  6. mark — a grade
  7. date — the fruit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kid — to tease
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. board — a committee
  16. content — happy
  17. perch — the fish
  18. kid — child
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. spell — a short time

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