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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. perch — the fish
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ball — a dance
  8. rock — a stone
  9. ball — a great time
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — in sport
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bound — obliged
  14. can — to be able to
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. game — a match
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bound — tied together
  19. can — a tin
  20. kid — child
  21. bound — certain
  22. season — of the year
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — music

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