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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 120 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pop — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pop — to visit
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. band — a ring
  11. present — the time now
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. kid — child
  16. band — a music group
  17. kid — to tease
  18. mate — to breed
  19. present — there
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. present — a gift
  23. pop — soda
  24. perch — for a bird

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