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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cap — a lid
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. tube — a container
  10. drill — the tool
  11. tube — the underground
  12. drill — army training
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. drill — a practice
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. saw — the tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mark — a trace
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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