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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: perch · content · capital · row · mug · dip · rest · bay

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. row — a line
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. capital — money
  6. content — the amount
  7. perch — the fish
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rest — a break
  11. capital — a city
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. mug — a cup
  14. dip — to sink
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rest — what's left
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mug — a face
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. content — happy

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