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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. cell — in biology
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. sharp — clever
  6. spell — a short time
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — magic
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — letters
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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