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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · safe · key · perch · clip · shower · foot · scale

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. key — the most important part
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. shower — rain
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. shower — to wash
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — in music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spell — letters
  17. key — for a lock
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. scale — size or range
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. key — in music
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. clip — to cut

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