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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rock — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. roll — a list
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rock — a stone
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. ground — a position
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. last — finally

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