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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: perch · racket · mug · can · content · game · field · pop

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. can — to be able to
  3. field — for sport
  4. mug — to rob
  5. field — farmland
  6. mug — a face
  7. game — wild animals
  8. perch — the fish
  9. content — happy
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. can — a tin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mug — a cup
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — a subject
  16. pop — music
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. pop — soda
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pop — to visit
  21. game — a match
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. content — videos and posts

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