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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mate — a partner
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. track — to keep track
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ball — a great time
  8. track — a path
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — a grade
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pitch — completely
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — to breed
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. track — a song

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