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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.

Words on the sheet
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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. perch — the fish
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — electric
  9. current — of water
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. clip — a video
  16. chest — of your body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. content — the amount
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. current — happening now
  23. ball — a dance
  24. content — happy

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