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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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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: perch · racket · saw · pitcher · rule · last · bulb · season

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. last — to go on
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rule — government
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rule — a law
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bulb — for light
  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