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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mate — a friend
  4. last — finally
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. season — of the year
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — music
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — for dancing
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. season — in sport
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. club — a group
  24. perch — for a bird

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