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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. content — happy
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bear — the animal
  11. content — the amount
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. date — the fruit
  14. root — the cause
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bear — the animal
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. date — on the calendar

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