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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bound — obliged
  6. kid — child
  7. bound — certain
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. present — a gift
  10. tube — a container
  11. present — there
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. content — happy
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bound — tied together
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — a trail
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. present — the time now
  24. kid — to tease

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