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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. tube — a container
  7. content — happy
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. foot — a measure
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. tube — the underground
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. perch — the fish

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