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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spell — letters
  5. key — in music
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spring — of water
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. key — for a lock
  12. spring — the season
  13. spell — a short time
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spell — magic
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. content — happy
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. content — the amount
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wake — a trail

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