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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. present — there
  4. net — in sport
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. track — to keep track
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. perch — the fish
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. kid — child
  14. present — the time now
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ground — the earth
  18. track — a path
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ground — a position
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. track — a song
  24. present — a gift

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