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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. date — the fruit
  5. march — the month
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. perch — the fish
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. season — of the year
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. season — in sport
  24. jam — in traffic

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