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

Word bank: pound · can · last · mug · rest · perch · race · season

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mug — a face
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. perch — the fish
  5. race — humankind
  6. last — finally
  7. mug — a cup
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. race — the arms race
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. last — final
  14. can — to be able to
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mug — to rob
  18. season — of the year
  19. last — to go on
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rest — a break
  22. can — a tin
  23. race — a contest
  24. season — in sport

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