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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 120 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: can · clip · arm · mouse · safe · present · perch · cold

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. can — a tin
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. present — the time now
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. present — there
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. can — to be able to
  14. perch — the fish
  15. present — a gift
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. clip — for paper
  18. can — a tin
  19. cold — an illness
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mouse — the animal

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