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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. perch — the fish
  9. season — in sport
  10. bound — obliged
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. court — for sport
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rush — hurry
  17. court — of a king
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. court — of law
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bore — to tire
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bore — to drill

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