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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rash — hasty
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. perch — the fish
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — a series
  20. rest — a break
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rest — what's left
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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