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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — a country
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. land — ground
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wind — moving air
  14. perch — the fish
  15. firm — a company
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. firm — steady
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. firm — decided
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. wind — moving air
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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