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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. ground — the earth
  5. saw — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. saw — the tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. plane — a tool
  14. kid — to tease
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ground — a position
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ground — crushed
  24. kid — child

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