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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. scale — in music
  3. mate — a partner
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. season — in sport
  7. kid — child
  8. mate — a friend
  9. tube — the underground
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tube — a container
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rush — hurry
  23. season — of the year
  24. perch — the fish

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