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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: season · patient · perch · snap · content · file · nail · pitch

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. file — a line of people
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. file — a tool
  4. perch — the fish
  5. content — the amount
  6. season — of the year
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. content — happy
  11. pitch — completely
  12. file — a document
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. snap — to click
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. season — to add flavour
  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