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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: straw · mark · cap · swing · perch · cabinet · content · spell

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. spell — magic
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cap — a hat
  7. content — happy
  8. spell — letters
  9. swing — to play on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. perch — the fish
  14. content — the amount
  15. cap — of ice
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cap — a lid
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mark — a grade
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. swing — music

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