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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
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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 · mate · rule · spell · perch · content · can · mine

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. can — a tin
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. mate — a partner
  7. perch — the fish
  8. spell — a short time
  9. can — to be able to
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. spell — magic
  12. content — happy
  13. can — a tin
  14. content — the amount
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. mate — a friend
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rule — government
  20. season — in sport
  21. mine — for digging
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rule — a law
  24. mate — to breed

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