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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. fall — the season
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. kid — to tease
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. file — a tool
  7. fall — to drop
  8. file — a line of people
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ground — the earth
  11. file — a document
  12. ground — a position
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. kid — child
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ground — crushed
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. rock — music

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