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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. band — a music group
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. march — the month
  8. net — after costs
  9. march — the month
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cue — for pool
  12. kid — to tease
  13. net — for catching
  14. band — a ring
  15. net — in sport
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cue — a hint
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ball — a great time
  20. cue — a signal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. march — music
  24. kid — child

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