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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bear — the animal
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. content — the amount
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bulb — for light
  12. content — happy
  13. bulb — for light
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. clip — for paper
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — a video
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mark — a trace
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mark — a grade
  24. racket — a loud noise

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