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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. fine — all right
  5. season — in sport
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. season — of the year
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. scale — in music
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mark — a trace
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lash — an eyelash

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