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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 it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. shower — rain
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. chair — a leader
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cell — in biology
  8. face — to confront
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cell — a phone
  11. track — a song
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. track — a path
  14. pop — soda
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. pop — music
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. track — to keep track
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pop — to visit

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