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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. mug — to rob
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — happy
  6. can — to be able to
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. club — for golf
  9. can — a tin
  10. club — a group
  11. net — in sport
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. club — for dancing
  16. perch — the fish
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. content — the amount
  21. can — a tin
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — a cup
  24. temple — a place of worship

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