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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. track — a path
  4. bat — the animal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. content — happy
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — for digging
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. track — a song
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bore — to tire
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bat — for baseball

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