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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. perch — the fish
  3. ground — crushed
  4. land — a country
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. land — to come down
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. kid — to tease
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cap — of ice
  13. land — ground
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cap — a lid
  16. band — a music group
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. band — a ring
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cap — a hat
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. ground — a position

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