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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 116 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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spell — letters
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — magic
  12. charge — in control
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. charge — electricity
  18. content — the amount
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. content — happy
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bat — the animal

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