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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. perch — the fish
  3. content — the amount
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cap — of ice
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. key — the most important part
  8. content — happy
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cap — a hat
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. key — for a lock
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cap — a lid
  17. tube — a container
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cold — not warm
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cold — an illness
  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