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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. sharp — clever
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. pop — music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kid — child
  13. pop — soda
  14. bat — the animal
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. kid — to tease
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. squash — the sport
  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