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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. rest — what's left
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. degree — from a university
  5. object — a thing
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — an injury
  9. row — to paddle
  10. degree — an amount
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rest — a break
  18. object — an aim
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wound — an injury
  22. object — to protest
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. safe — a strongbox

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