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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
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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: content · bay · rest · rush · mine · hand · pop · perch

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. perch — the fish
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. hand — help
  9. content — the amount
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rest — a break
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pop — soda
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pop — 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