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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. season — in sport
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cold — an illness
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cold — not warm
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. last — to go on
  17. can — a tin
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. rash — a series
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. season — of the year
  24. rash — hasty

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