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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pop — soda
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — a song
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. saw — the tool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. track — a path
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pop — music
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cold — an illness

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