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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. bank — of a river
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chest — a box
  6. court — for sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. chest — of your body
  11. court — of law
  12. chest — of your body
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — of the year
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. shower — rain
  17. court — of a king
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. object — an aim
  21. bank — for money
  22. object — a thing
  23. bank — for money
  24. perch — the fish

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