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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wound — an injury
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bound — tied together
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. face — to point toward
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. scale — in music
  16. cold — an illness
  17. face — to confront
  18. bound — certain
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. face — part of the head
  24. safe — a strongbox

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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