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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. object — to protest
  8. root — the cause
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fine — high quality
  12. cold — an illness
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. object — a thing
  15. root — of a word
  16. object — an aim
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fine — all right
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. snap — to click
  21. cold — not warm
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. perch — the fish
  24. root — of a plant

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