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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. can — to be able to
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — the amount
  7. land — ground
  8. perch — the fish
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — finally
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wound — an injury
  14. can — a tin
  15. last — final
  16. land — to come down
  17. last — to go on
  18. can — a tin
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — a country
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — happy

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