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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. net — in sport
  3. march — music
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. present — there
  10. march — the month
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — to recline
  13. season — in sport
  14. hand — help
  15. net — for catching
  16. present — the time now
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. march — the month
  21. net — after costs
  22. present — a gift
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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