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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rash — hasty
  4. net — in sport
  5. content — happy
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. game — wild animals
  8. club — for golf
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. content — the amount
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. net — for catching
  14. perch — the fish
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. net — after costs
  17. club — a group
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rash — a series
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. game — a match
  24. content — videos and posts

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