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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. perch — the fish
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. clip — to cut
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. date — the fruit
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. date — on the calendar

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