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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: ground · season · safe · saw · track · jam · mate · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. season — of the year
  4. ground — crushed
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. mate — to breed
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. season — in sport
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mate — a partner
  15. track — a path
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ground — the earth
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ground — a position
  23. mate — a friend
  24. perch — for a bird

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