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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kick — in football
  5. content — happy
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bass — low music
  8. root — of a plant
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bark — to shout
  12. spell — letters
  13. content — the amount
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. root — of a word
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spell — magic
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. root — the cause
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bass — 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