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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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Word bank
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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pop — music
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. can — a tin
  7. key — in music
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. pop — soda
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pop — to visit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. key — for a lock
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. key — the most important part
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. patient — a sick person

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