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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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468
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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. scale — size or range
  10. kick — in football
  11. perch — the fish
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rest — a break
  14. scale — in music
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rest — what's left
  19. roll — a list
  20. kid — child
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. roll — a cake

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