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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · spell · sharp · file · safe · perch

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. spell — letters
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. perch — the fish
  7. sharp — clever
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. spell — a short time
  11. game — a match
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. spell — magic
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a line of people
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. file — a tool
  18. sharp — with an edge

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