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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. spring — a coil
  6. can — a tin
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. spring — the season
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ball — a great time
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. can — a tin
  14. perch — the fish
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. dip — to sink
  18. content — happy
  19. spring — of water
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. content — the amount
  22. mine — for digging
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. can — to be able to

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