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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.

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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. date — the fruit
  7. land — ground
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. net — for catching
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mine — for digging
  16. net — after costs
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. perch — the fish
  20. land — a country
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. net — in sport
  23. land — to come down
  24. date — on the calendar

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