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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: content · pit · lie · straw · perch · season · leaves · cap

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. season — of the year
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cap — a lid
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pit — a hole
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lie — to recline
  10. content — the amount
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. season — in sport
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pit — in a race
  23. perch — the fish
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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