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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. content — happy
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. perch — the fish
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hand — help
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hand — in cards
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. game — a match
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fine — high quality
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. content — the amount
  23. fine — all right
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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