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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. game — a match
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. march — music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rest — a break
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. rest — what's left
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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