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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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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: rock · perch · pitcher · temple · straw · racket · safe · cold

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rock — music
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rock — a stone
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cold — not warm
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. safe — out of danger

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