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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. clip — to cut
  5. perch — the fish
  6. clip — a video
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — in sport
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. clip — for paper
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. can — to be able to
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. can — a tin
  21. wake — a trail
  22. season — of the year
  23. can — a tin
  24. perch — for a bird

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