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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. ground — the earth
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. ground — crushed
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ground — a position
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. clip — to cut
  20. drill — the tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. drill — army training

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