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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. spell — magic
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pop — music
  11. present — a gift
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chair — a leader
  17. present — there
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. present — the time now
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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