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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 120 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. rash — hasty
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bank — for money
  7. season — in sport
  8. kid — child
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pitch — completely
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bank — for money
  15. season — of the year
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rash — a series
  18. pop — soda
  19. fine — high quality
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pop — music

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