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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 116 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: ground · wound · safe · pitcher · perch · last · spell · stick

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. last — to go on
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. last — finally
  9. spell — magic
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spell — letters
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ground — the earth
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. last — final

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