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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. spring — a coil
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. spring — the season
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bear — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cue — a signal
  16. perch — the fish
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. rash — a series
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spring — of water

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