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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 · game · mouse · spring · perch · leaves · hide · chest

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — of water
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. chest — a box
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. perch — the fish
  18. spring — a coil
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spring — the season
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. leaves — of a tree

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