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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. spell — a short time
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. spell — magic
  9. pit — a hole
  10. roll — a list
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. spell — letters
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. roll — a cake
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pit — in a race

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