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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chest — a box
  4. race — a contest
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. race — humankind
  7. bulb — for light
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wound — an injury
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bulb — for light
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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