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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: content · file · land · toast · bay · staff · perch · kick

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. kick — in football
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. file — a line of people
  8. land — to come down
  9. staff — a stick
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. file — a document
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. content — happy
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. toast — bread
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. perch — the fish
  21. staff — employees
  22. file — a tool
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. content — the amount

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