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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. race — the arms race
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. degree — from a university
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — a contest
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. degree — an amount
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. degree — temperature
  15. root — of a plant
  16. perch — the fish
  17. race — humankind
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. root — of a word
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rush — hurry
  23. root — the cause
  24. bear — the animal

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