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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.

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 · content · perch · race · court · file · rash · cabinet

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — in sport
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rash — a series
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. court — of law
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. court — for sport
  15. race — humankind
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. court — of a king
  18. race — a contest
  19. content — happy
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rash — hasty
  23. race — the arms race
  24. file — a document

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