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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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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: cold · last · racket · stock · present · safe · rest · perch

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. present — there
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rest — what's left
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. present — the time now
  11. last — final
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. stock — shares
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. present — a gift
  16. last — finally
  17. cold — an illness
  18. perch — the fish
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rest — what's left
  21. last — to go on
  22. rest — a break
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. stock — goods

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