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

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. drill — the tool
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. date — the fruit
  5. season — in sport
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. drill — army training
  8. fine — all right
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pitch — completely
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. current — of water
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. season — of the year
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. current — happening now
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. current — electric
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pitch — a sports field

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