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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. game — a match
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. season — in sport
  16. perch — the fish
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. dip — to sink
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. snap — to click
  24. game — wild animals

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