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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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468
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. pit — a hole
  2. last — to go on
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. last — final
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. last — finally
  10. content — the amount
  11. lie — to recline
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pit — in a race
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. root — of a plant
  18. content — happy
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. safe — out of danger
  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