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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.

Make a worksheet

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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. key — for a lock
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. season — in sport
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wound — an injury
  9. key — in music
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. band — a music group
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. date — the fruit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wound — an injury
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. season — of the year
  23. key — the most important part
  24. band — a ring

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