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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. perch — the fish
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. scale — size or range
  6. firm — steady
  7. kid — child
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. firm — decided
  10. root — of a plant
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. scale — in music
  15. firm — a company
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. root — of a word
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. last — final
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. last — to go on
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. root — the cause
  24. perch — for a bird

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