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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.

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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. net — after costs
  6. stock — goods
  7. swing — music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stock — shares
  10. last — final
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. net — in sport
  13. last — to go on
  14. scale — in music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. last — finally
  17. band — a ring
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. band — a music group
  21. net — for catching
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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