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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bulb — for light
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mate — a partner
  7. current — of water
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. drill — the tool
  10. kid — child
  11. bulb — for light
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mate — to breed
  14. season — in sport
  15. kid — to tease
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mate — a friend
  18. drill — army training
  19. perch — the fish
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. current — happening now
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. current — electric
  24. rush — to hurry

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