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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. race — humankind
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. content — happy
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. plane — a tool
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — a contest
  13. content — the amount
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. kid — to tease
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. kid — child

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