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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rash — hasty
  5. cue — a hint
  6. perch — the fish
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bear — the animal
  9. season — of the year
  10. bear — the animal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rash — a series
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. cue — for pool
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cue — a signal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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