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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: perch · safe · date · chest · land · row · present · chip

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. land — a country
  3. present — the time now
  4. chest — of your body
  5. land — to come down
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. land — ground
  8. row — a line
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. date — the fruit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. present — there
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — for betting
  16. row — to paddle
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chest — of your body
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chest — a box
  24. date — on the calendar

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