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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. can — to be able to
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. row — to paddle
  5. net — after costs
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. court — of law
  8. rock — a stone
  9. content — happy
  10. net — in sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — a division
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. content — the amount
  17. court — of a king
  18. rock — music
  19. row — a line
  20. can — a tin
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — for catching
  23. can — a tin
  24. branch — of a tree

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