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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 116 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. scale — in music
  3. spring — of water
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. scale — size or range
  8. content — the amount
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. perch — the fish
  11. spring — the season
  12. stem — to come from
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. spring — a coil
  15. charge — a price
  16. content — happy
  17. court — for sport
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. charge — in control
  20. dip — to sink
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. charge — electricity

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