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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wax — to grow
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. content — happy
  11. chest — a box
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cue — a hint
  15. sharp — clever
  16. chest — of your body
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. content — the amount
  22. rest — a break
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cue — for pool

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