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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: scale · perch · game · pound · dip · content · tube · season

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. content — happy
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. season — of the year
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. game — a match
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. season — in sport
  15. scale — in music
  16. tube — a container
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. content — the amount
  19. game — wild animals
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tube — in a tire

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