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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. kid — child
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — happy
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. content — the amount
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. ball — a great time
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — hurry

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