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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: mouse · season · march · can · mate · game · prune · content

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. game — wild animals
  5. season — in sport
  6. game — a match
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. march — music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. season — of the year
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. march — the month
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — to breed
  22. march — the month
  23. prune — to trim
  24. can — to be able to

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