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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pop — music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pitch — completely
  13. ball — a great time
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. pop — soda
  17. content — happy
  18. pop — to visit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. perch — the fish
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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