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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: key · safe · jam · land · shower · rest · sharp · perch

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. shower — to wash
  3. land — ground
  4. rest — what's left
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. key — for a lock
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. key — the most important part
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. land — to come down
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. key — in music
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. rest — a break
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rest — what's left
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. sharp — clever
  22. perch — the fish
  23. shower — rain
  24. land — a country

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