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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: field · spell · current · perch · safe · sharp · bat · roll

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. perch — the fish
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. current — happening now
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. field — a subject
  9. roll — a list
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spell — magic
  14. bat — the animal
  15. spell — letters
  16. roll — a cake
  17. current — of water
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. field — for sport
  23. current — electric
  24. spell — a short time

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