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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: perch · ball · spring · content · dip · jam · game · bass

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spring — of water
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. dip — to sink
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bass — the fish
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. content — happy
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. spring — the season
  23. content — the amount
  24. ball — a great time

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