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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rash — a series
  5. club — for golf
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. content — the amount
  10. branch — a division
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. game — wild animals
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. club — a group
  20. toast — bread
  21. club — for dancing
  22. game — a match
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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