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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.

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: mouse · cold · safe · cabinet · perch · hand · cap · roll

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cold — an illness
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. perch — the fish
  16. roll — a list
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. roll — a cake
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cold — the Cold War

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