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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · rash · rush · pitcher · net · mate · squash · perch

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rash — a series
  3. mate — a partner
  4. perch — the fish
  5. content — the amount
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rush — hurry
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. content — happy
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. net — in sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rash — hasty
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. net — after costs
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — for catching

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