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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. perch — the fish
  4. race — humankind
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. land — ground
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. land — a country
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bear — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. land — to come down
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — the animal
  24. race — the arms race

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