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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.

Make a worksheet

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: content · wake · pitcher · straw · cabinet · wave · racket · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. content — the amount
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pop — music
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pop — soda
  20. content — happy
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pitcher — a jug

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