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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. season — of the year
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fine — all right
  5. scale — size or range
  6. band — a music group
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ground — a position
  9. perch — the fish
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. band — a ring
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. cap — a hat
  16. scale — in music
  17. cap — a lid
  18. ground — the earth
  19. season — in sport
  20. ground — crushed
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cap — of ice
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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