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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cold — an illness
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. clip — a video
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. clip — for paper
  11. present — a gift
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. suit — in cards
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pitch — completely
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. suit — to fit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. suit — clothes
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. mouse — for a computer

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