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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wound — an injury
  3. season — of the year
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pop — to visit
  6. spell — magic
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. degree — from a university
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. court — for sport
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pop — soda
  13. degree — temperature
  14. court — of a king
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wound — an injury
  18. court — of law
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pop — music
  22. spell — a short time
  23. season — in sport
  24. spell — letters

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