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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a great time
  5. mine — for digging
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. mate — to breed
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. file — a document
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mate — a friend
  22. perch — the fish
  23. ball — a dance
  24. mate — a partner

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