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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. race — a contest
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. race — the arms race
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. race — humankind
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. press — to push
  15. rock — a stone
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. press — a publisher
  18. vault — a safe
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. track — a path
  22. rock — music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. stem — to come from

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