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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.

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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: season · coach · fine · kid · cell · perch · drill · safe

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. cell — a phone
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cell — in biology
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. kid — child
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. season — of the year
  18. kid — to tease
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fine — all right
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fine — high quality
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. drill — the tool

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