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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: race · firm · safe · saw · perch · pop · drill · land

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. perch — the fish
  3. firm — a company
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. drill — a practice
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. firm — decided
  10. race — the arms race
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — ground
  13. pop — soda
  14. race — humankind
  15. pop — to visit
  16. firm — steady
  17. drill — army training
  18. land — to come down
  19. race — a contest
  20. land — a country
  21. drill — the tool
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. pop — music
  24. perch — for a bird

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