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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. root — of a word
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. perch — the fish
  10. kick — in football
  11. file — a tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. file — a document
  14. content — the amount
  15. root — the cause
  16. bore — to drill
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bore — to tire
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bass — the fish
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. file — a line of people
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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