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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. toast — bread
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. current — electric
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. perch — the fish
  7. current — happening now
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. current — of water
  21. pop — music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stem — a stem cell

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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