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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: saw · pound · perch · key · racket · content · ground · wake

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. key — the most important part
  4. saw — the tool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — a position
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pound — a weight
  9. key — in music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. ground — the earth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. perch — the fish
  19. saw — the tool
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wake — a trail
  22. content — happy
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. content — the amount

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