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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. ground — the earth
  5. track — a song
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bat — the animal
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. deal — to handle
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. track — a path
  20. chair — a leader
  21. track — to keep track
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ground — a position
  24. perch — the fish

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