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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. press — newspapers
  6. roll — a list
  7. press — to push
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a city
  13. dip — to sink
  14. press — a publisher
  15. current — electric
  16. roll — a cake
  17. current — happening now
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. current — of water
  23. date — the fruit
  24. dip — to dunk

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