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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. chip — to eat
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chip — for betting
  8. perch — the fish
  9. race — humankind
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fork — in a road
  15. race — a contest
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. race — the arms race
  23. chest — a box
  24. chip — in a computer

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