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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · ball · racket · clip · content · rock · mouse · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. clip — to cut
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rock — music
  8. ball — a great time
  9. clip — a video
  10. chest — a box
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rock — a stone
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. content — the amount
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. clip — for paper
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — the animal

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