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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. last — to go on
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. club — a group
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. last — finally
  11. wax — to grow
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pit — in a race
  14. season — in sport
  15. saw — the tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. last — final
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. club — for dancing
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. club — for golf
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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