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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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Word bank
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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 water is too ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. present — a gift
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cold — an illness
  5. game — a match
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cap — of ice
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. present — there
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. present — the time now
  22. cap — a hat
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cap — a lid

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