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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. land — ground
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. land — a country
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. degree — an amount
  11. drill — a practice
  12. perch — the fish
  13. degree — temperature
  14. rush — hurry
  15. lean — thin
  16. drill — army training
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. drill — the tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lean — to bend
  24. land — to come down

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