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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: safe · perch · spell · fan · cold · capital · stick · rash

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. spell — letters
  16. rash — hasty
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. spell — magic
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rash — a series
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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