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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. pitch — completely
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. toast — bread
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. net — in sport
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. net — for catching
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. net — after costs
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. rock — music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. perch — the fish
  24. clip — a video

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