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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. content — happy
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. club — for dancing
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. squash — to crush
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. drill — the tool
  11. club — a group
  12. rush — hurry
  13. squash — the sport
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. drill — a practice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — for golf
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. drill — army training
  22. content — the amount
  23. perch — the fish
  24. safe — a strongbox

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