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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. kid — child
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. file — a document
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. pop — to visit
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. file — a tool
  18. pop — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. perch — the fish

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