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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 116 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. kid — child
  5. bound — certain
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bound — tied together
  10. kick — in football
  11. mate — to breed
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. content — happy
  15. season — in sport
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mate — a friend
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mate — a partner
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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