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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rest — what's left
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. spell — letters
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chair — a leader
  12. season — of the year
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rest — a break
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spell — a short time
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rash — a series
  21. spell — magic
  22. file — a line of people
  23. season — in sport
  24. rest — what's left

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