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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 116 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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. swing — in golf
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. firm — a company
  9. ground — a position
  10. perch — the fish
  11. mark — a grade
  12. ground — the earth
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. swing — music
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. ground — crushed
  24. swing — to play on

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