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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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: wave · wound · court · bat · perch · track · season · content

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. track — to keep track
  5. season — in sport
  6. track — a song
  7. court — for sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. track — a path
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — of law
  16. content — happy
  17. court — of a king
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. content — the amount
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — of the year
  24. perch — the fish

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