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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.

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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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. mug — a face
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lean — thin
  9. last — finally
  10. perch — the fish
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. lean — to bend
  13. mug — a cup
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. tube — the underground
  17. last — to go on
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. last — final
  23. mug — to rob
  24. tube — a container

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