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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. spell — letters
  9. mug — a face
  10. march — music
  11. mug — to rob
  12. clip — to cut
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. march — the month
  15. season — in sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. march — the month
  23. fine — all right
  24. rest — what's left

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