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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fall — to drop
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. content — happy
  9. chest — a box
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. scale — in music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. scale — size or range
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. fall — to drop
  18. content — the amount
  19. fall — the season
  20. chest — of your body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bark — to shout

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