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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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Word bank
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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. season — of the year
  6. degree — an amount
  7. roll — a cake
  8. ball — a dance
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. scale — in music
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. perch — the fish
  15. content — happy
  16. season — in sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. scale — size or range
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. degree — from a university
  22. roll — a list
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ball — a great time

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