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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: lie · mate · club · bark · perch · season · roll · content

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. season — of the year
  3. roll — a cake
  4. club — for golf
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. club — a group
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. season — in sport
  10. roll — a list
  11. content — the amount
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mate — a partner
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bark — to shout
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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