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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: ball · present · perch · stick · sharp · pound · pitcher · content

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. ball — a great time
  3. content — happy
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. present — the time now
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ball — a dance
  11. present — a gift
  12. content — the amount
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. present — there
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. sharp — clever
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pound — a weight
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. perch — for a bird

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