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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · content · spring · stand · ball · perch · net · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. spring — of water
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spring — a coil
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. content — the amount
  10. net — after costs
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. content — happy
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stand — to bear
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spring — the season
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. snap — to click

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