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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chest — of your body
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. chest — a box
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. scale — in music
  10. row — to paddle
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. face — to point toward
  15. row — a line
  16. wind — moving air
  17. face — to confront
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. squash — to crush
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. chest — of your body
  24. face — part of the head

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