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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. content — the amount
  4. perch — the fish
  5. court — for sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. march — music
  8. court — of a king
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. content — happy
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. march — the month
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. court — of law
  23. march — the month
  24. mate — a partner

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