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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 116 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: perch · safe · snap · hide · hand · face · content · march

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. content — the amount
  4. hand — help
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. content — happy
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. face — to confront
  9. march — the month
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. march — the month
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. snap — to click
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. march — music

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