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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. prune — to trim
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. court — of law
  5. mug — a face
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. court — for sport
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. present — there
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. present — a gift
  15. mug — to rob
  16. court — of a king
  17. present — the time now
  18. mug — a cup
  19. prune — to trim
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. perch — the fish
  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