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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. stem — to come from
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — child
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rash — hasty
  20. march — music
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rash — a series
  23. march — the month
  24. perch — the fish

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