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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: safe · land · toast · rest · perch · pop · pitcher · content

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. content — the amount
  3. rest — a break
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. content — happy
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pop — to visit
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — to come down
  13. toast — bread
  14. rest — what's left
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. land — ground
  20. rest — what's left
  21. land — a country
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. safe — out of danger

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