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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fine — high quality
  4. suit — in cards
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. season — of the year
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. band — a music group
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. file — a document
  11. fine — all right
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pound — a weight
  15. file — a line of people
  16. suit — to fit
  17. file — a tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. perch — the fish
  21. season — in sport
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. band — a ring
  24. mouse — the animal

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