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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. last — final
  3. content — the amount
  4. row — a line
  5. can — to be able to
  6. rock — a stone
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. can — a tin
  10. row — to paddle
  11. can — a tin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pop — soda
  16. rock — music
  17. content — happy
  18. last — finally
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. last — to go on
  21. pop — music
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rock — to move gently

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