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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. hand — help
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hand — in cards
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. content — happy
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pop — soda
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pop — to visit
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pass — a permit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. content — the amount
  23. pop — music
  24. hand — part of the body

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