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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 · pitcher · nail · scale · straw · perch · row · kid

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. scale — in music
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. scale — size or range
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. row — to paddle
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kid — child
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. perch — the fish
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. kid — to tease
  24. row — a quarrel

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