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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: foot · game · sharp · chest · safe · tear · clip · perch

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — a video
  4. perch — the fish
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chest — of your body
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. clip — to cut
  12. game — a match
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. foot — a measure
  16. tear — from crying
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. clip — for paper
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. tear — to rip
  24. sharp — clever

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