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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: cold · mate · season · toast · cabinet · perch · tube · pound

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mate — a partner
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. season — in sport
  12. toast — bread
  13. season — of the year
  14. mate — a friend
  15. tube — a container
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mate — to breed
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pound — a weight
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. toast — the most admired

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