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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. perch — the fish
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — a skill
  5. cell — in biology
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. craft — boats
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. mate — to breed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tear — to rip
  13. race — the arms race
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mate — a friend
  17. race — humankind
  18. mate — a partner

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