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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bound — obliged
  5. rash — a series
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. cold — not warm
  8. perch — the fish
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rash — hasty
  17. content — the amount
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bound — certain
  21. content — happy
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. perch — for a bird

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