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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. swing — in golf
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. content — happy
  5. swing — music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. land — a country
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. land — to come down
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. content — the amount
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. perch — the fish
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. swing — to play on
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. date — the fruit
  24. content — videos and posts

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