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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. tube — a container
  3. scale — in music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. season — of the year
  13. pound — a weight
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bound — tied together
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. season — in sport
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. scale — size or range
  24. racket — for tennis

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