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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. last — to go on
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mate — a friend
  9. court — of a king
  10. firm — a company
  11. kid — child
  12. court — of law
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. perch — the fish
  15. last — finally
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mate — to breed
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. firm — decided
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. court — for sport
  23. firm — steady
  24. mate — a partner

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