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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.

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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. content — the amount
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pop — soda
  11. season — in sport
  12. pop — music
  13. mate — a friend
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pop — to visit
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. mate — to breed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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