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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. content — happy
  7. bear — the animal
  8. content — the amount
  9. scale — size or range
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mark — a grade
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bass — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bass — low music
  16. scale — in music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. perch — the fish

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