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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. object — an aim
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. perch — the fish
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rush — hurry
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — to wash
  14. chair — a leader
  15. kick — in football
  16. mine — for digging
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. shower — rain
  21. object — to protest
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. object — a thing
  24. safe — out of danger

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