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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 120 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.

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: dip · pitcher · land · safe · perch · content · mug · spell

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. land — ground
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — letters
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. content — happy
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. spell — a short time
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. content — the amount
  17. mug — a face
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. dip — to sink
  21. spell — magic
  22. mug — a cup
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. perch — the fish

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