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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. can — to be able to
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. toast — bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. can — a tin
  10. perch — the fish
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. content — the amount
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. can — a tin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. dip — to sink
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. dip — to dunk

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