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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. field — for sport
  4. chest — a box
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. field — farmland
  12. rash — hasty
  13. ball — a great time
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — hurry
  16. field — a subject
  17. chest — of your body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — a series
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ball — a dance
  24. chest — of your body

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