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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · bowl · mine · fine · pop · toast · stand · perch

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. fine — all right
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. fine — high quality
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. perch — the fish
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — soda
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. season — in sport
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. toast — bread
  19. season — of the year
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pop — music
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. mine — for digging

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