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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. rash — hasty
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. present — a gift
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. present — the time now
  10. rash — a series
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — of the year
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. present — there
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. perch — the fish
  20. season — in sport
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. prune — to trim
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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