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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. stock — goods
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. stock — shares
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. band — a music group
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mine — for digging
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. band — a ring
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lie — to recline

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