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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. hand — help
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. date — the fruit
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. perch — the fish
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mine — for digging
  22. hand — in cards
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mine — an explosive

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