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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: row · perch · pit · lie · rush · cold · ball · season

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. season — in sport
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. pit — a hole
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pit — in a race
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lie — to recline
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. season — of the year
  19. cold — an illness
  20. row — a line
  21. cold — not warm
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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