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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pop — music
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — soda
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. content — the amount
  13. mate — a partner
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. roll — a cake
  16. foot — a measure
  17. perch — the fish
  18. roll — a list
  19. wind — moving air
  20. content — happy
  21. mate — to breed
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. perch — for a bird

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