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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fine — all right
  3. season — of the year
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. squash — to crush
  7. last — to go on
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. last — finally
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. sharp — clever
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. last — final
  18. perch — the fish
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. season — in sport
  24. sharp — exactly

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