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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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. roll — on a roll
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — the amount
  7. roll — a cake
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. vault — a safe
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. roll — a list
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rush — hurry
  24. content — happy

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